The Secret Teachings Of All Ages - Manly P Hall

The Secret Teachings Of All ages

AN ENCYCLOPEDIC OUTLINE OF

MASONIC, hermetic,
QABBALISTIC AND ROSICRUCIAN
SYMBOLICAL PHILOSOPHY
Being an Interpretation of the
Secret Teachings concealed within the Rituals, Allegories,
and Mysteries of all Ages
By

Manly P. Hall

SAN FRANCISCO
PRINTED FOR MANLY P. HALL
BYH.S. CROCKER COMPANY, INCORPORATED
MCMXXVIII

[1928, no renewal]

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PREFACE

NUMEROUS volumes have been written as commentaries upon the secret systems of philosophy
existing in the ancient world, but the ageless truths of life, like many of the earth's greatest thinkers,
have usually been clothed in shabby garments. The present work is an attempt to supply a tome
worthy of those seers and sages whose thoughts are the substance of its pages. To bring about this
coalescence of Beauty and Truth has proved most costly, but I believe that the result will produce an
effect upon the mind of the reader which will more than justify the expenditure.

Work upon the text of this volume was begun the first day of January, 1926, and has continued almost
uninterruptedly for over two years. The greater part of the research work, however, was carried on
prior to the writing of the manuscript. The collection of reference material was begun in 1921, and
three years later the plans for the book took definite form. For the sake of clarity, all footnotes were
eliminated, the various quotations and references to other authors being embodied in the text in their
logical order. The bibliography is appended primarily to assist those interested in selecting for future
study the most authoritative and important items dealing with philosophy and symbolism. To make
readily accessible the abstruse information contained in the book, an elaborate topical cross index is
included.

I make no claim for either the infallibility or the originality of any statement herein contained. I have
studied the fragmentary writings of the ancients sufficiently to realize that dogmatic utterances
concerning their tenets are worse than foolhardy. Traditionalism is the curse of modern philosophy,
particularly that of the European schools. While many of the statements contained in this treatise
may appear at first wildly fantastic, I have sincerely endeavored to refrain from haphazard
metaphysical speculation, presenting the material as far as possible in the spirit rather than the letter
of the original authors. By assuming responsibility only for the mistakes which may' appear herein, I
hope to escape the accusation of plagiarism which has been directed against nearly every writer on
the subject of mystical philosophy.

Having no particular ism of my own to promulgate, I have not attempted to twist the original writings
to substantiate preconceived notions, nor have I distorted doctrines in any effort to reconcile the
irreconcilable differences present in the various systems of religio-philosophic thought.

The entire theory of the book is diametrically opposed to the modem method of thinking, for it is
concerned with subjects openly ridiculed by the sophists of the twentieth century. Its true purpose is
to introduce the mind of the reader to a hypothesis of living wholly beyond the pale of materialistic
theology, philosophy, or science. The mass of abstruse material between its covers is not susceptible
to perfect organization, but so far as possible related topics have been grouped together.

Rich as the English language is in media of expression, it is curiously lacking in terms suitable to the
conveyance of abstract philosophical premises. A certain intuitive grasp of the subtler meanings
concealed within groups of inadequate words is necessary therefore to an understanding of the
ancient Mystery Teachings.

Although the majority of the items in the bibliography are in my own library, I wish to acknowledge
gratefully the assistance rendered by the Public Libraries of San Francisco and Los Angeles, the
libraries of the Scottish Rite in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the libraries of the University of
California in Berkeley and Los Angeles, the Mechanics' Library in San Francisco, and the Krotona
Theosophical Library at Ojai, California. Special recognition for their help is also due to the following
persons: Mrs. Max Heindel, Mrs. Alice Palmer Henderson, Mr. Ernest Dawson and staff, Mr. John

Howell, Mr. Paul Elder, Mr. Phillip Watson Hackett, and Mr. John R. Ruckstell. Single books were
lent by other persons and organizations, to whom thanks are also given.

The matter of translation was the greatest single task in the research work incident to the preparation
of this volume. The necessary

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German translations, which required nearly three years, were generously undertaken by Mr. Alfred
Beri, who declined all remuneration for his labor. The Latin, Italian, French, and Spanish translations
were made by Prof. Homer P. Earle. The Hebrew text was edited by Rabbi Jacob M. Alkow.
Miscellaneous short translations and checking also were done by various individuals.

The editorial work was under the supervision of Dr. C. B. Rowlingson, through whose able efforts
literary order was often brought out of literary chaos. Special recognition is also due the services
rendered by Mr. Robert B. Tummonds, of the staff of H. S. Crocker Company, Inc., to whom were
assigned the technical difficulties of fitting the text matter into its allotted space. For much of the
literary charm of the work I am also indebted to Mr. M. M. Saxton, to whom the entire manuscript
was first dictated and to whom was also entrusted the preparation of the index. The splendid efforts
of Mr. J. Augustus Knapp, the illustrator, have resulted in a series of color plates which add materially
to the beauty and completeness of the work. Q The printing of the book was in the hands of Mr.
Frederick E. Keast, of H. S. Crocker Company, Inc., whose great personal interest in the volume has
been manifested by an untiring effort to improve the quality thereof Through the gracious
cooperation of Dr. John Henry Nash, the foremost designer of printing on the American Continent,
the book appears in a unique and appropriate form, embodying the finest elements of the printer's
craft. An increase in the number of plates and also a finer quality of workmanship than was first
contemplated have been made possible by Mr. C. E. Benson, of the Los Angeles Engraving Company,
who entered heart and soul into the production of this volume.

The pre-publication sale of this book has been without known precedent in book history. The
subscription list for the first edition of 550 copies was entirely closed a year before the manuscript
was placed in the printer's hands. The second, or King Solomon, edition, consisting of 550 copies, and
the third, or Theosophical, edition, consisting of 200 copies, were sold before the finished volume was
received from the printer. For so ambitious a production, this constitutes a unique achievement. The
credit for this extraordinary sales program belongs to Mrs. Maud F. Galigher, who had as her ideal
not to sell the book in the commercial sense of the word but to place it in the hands of those
particularly interested in the subject matter it contains. Valuable assistance in this respect was also
rendered by numerous friends who had attended my lectures and who without compensation
undertook and successfully accomplished the distribution of the book.

In conclusion, the author wishes to acknowledge gratefully his indebtedness to each one of the
hundreds of subscribers through whose advance payments the publication of this folio was made
possible. To undertake the enormous expense involved was entirely beyond his individual means and
those who invested in the volume had no assurance of its production and no security other than their
faith in the integrity of the writer.

I sincerely hope that each reader will profit from the perusal of this book, even as I have profited from
the writing of it. The years of labor and thought expended upon it have meant much to me. The
research work discovered to me many great truths; the writing of it discovered to me the laws of order
and patience; the printing of it discovered to me new wonders of the arts and crafts; and the whole
enterprise has discovered to me a multitude of friends whom otherwise I might never have known.
And so, in the words of John Bunyan:

Ipenned
It down, until at last it came to be,
For length and breadth, the bigness which you see.

MANLY P. HALL.

Los Angeles, California

May 28,1928

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Table of Contents

DEDICATION 3

PREFACE 5

COLOR PLATES 9

ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT ii

INTRODUCTION 12

THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES AND SECRET SOCIETIES WHICH HAVE INFLUENCED
MODERN MASONIC SYMBOLISM

Ancient systems of education—Celsus concerning the Christians—Knowledge necessary 21
to right hving~The Druidic Mysteries of Britain and Gaul—The Rites of Mithras— The
Mithraic and Christian Mysteries contrasted.

THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES AND SECRET SOCIETIES, PART II

The Gnostic Mysteries— Simon Magus and Basilides— Abraxas, the Gnostic concept of

Deity— The Mysteries of Serapis— Labyrinth symbolism— The Odinic, or Gothic,

Mysteries.

THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES AND SECRET SOCIETIES, PART III

The Eleusinian Mysteries— The Lesser Rites— The Greater Rites— The Orphic Mysteries- 29
-The Bacchic Mysteries— The Dionysiac Mysteries.

ATLANTIS AND THE GODS OF ANTIQUITY

Plato's Atlantis in the light of modern science-The Myth of the Dying God-The Rite of
Tammuz and Ishtar— The Mysteries of Atys and Adonis-The Rites of Sabazius— The
Cabiric Mysteries of Samothrace.

THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF THOTH HERMES TRISMEGISTUS

Suppositions concerning identity of Hermes— The mutilated Hermetic fragments— The
Book of Thoth— Poimandres, the Vision of Hermes— The Mystery of Universal Mind—
The Seven Governors of the World.

THE INITIATION OF THE PYRAMID

The opening of the Great Pyramid by Caliph at Mamoun— The passageways and
chambers of the Great Pyramid— The riddle of the Sphinx— The Pyramid Mysteries—
The secret of the Pyramid coffer-The dwelling place of the Hidden God.

ISIS, THE VIRGIN OF THE WORLD

The birthdays of the gods— The murder of Osiris— The Hermetic Isis— The symbols 45
peculiar to Isis— The Troubadours— The mummification of the dead.

THE SUN, A UNIVERSAL DEITY

The Solar Trinity-Christianity and the Sun— The birthday of the Sun— The three Suns— 49
The celestial inhabitants of the Sun— The midnight Sun.

THE ZODIAC AND ITS SIGNS

Primitive astronomical instruments— The equinoxes and solstices— The astrological
ages of the world— The circular zodiac of Tentyra— An interpretation of the zodiacal
signs— The horoscope of the world.

THE BEMBINE TABLE OF ISIS

Plato's initiation in the Great Pyramid— The history of the Bembine Table— Platonic
theory of ideas— The interplay of the three philosophical zodiacs— The Chaldean
philosophy of triads— The Orphic Egg.

WONDERS OF ANTIQUITY

The ever-burning lamps— The oracle of Delphi— The Dodonean oracle— The oracle of

61

Trophonius—The initiated architects—The Seven Wonders of the world.
THE LIFE AND PHILOSOPHY OF PYTHAGORAS

Pythagoras and the School of Crotona—Pythagoric fundamentals—The symmetrical .
solids— The symbolic aphorisms of Pythagoras— Pythagorean astronomy— Kepler's
theory of the universe.

PYTHAGOREAN MATHEMATICS

The theory of numbers— The numerical values of letters— Method of securing the ^
numerical Power of words— An introduction to the Pythagorean theory of numbers—
The sieve of Eratosthenes— The meanings of the ten numbers.
THE HUMAN BODY IN SYMBOLISM

The philosophical manikin— The three universal centers— The temples of initiation— 73
The hand in symbolism— The greater and lesser man— The Anthropos, or Oversoul.

THE HIRAMIC LEGEND

The building of Solomon's Temple— The murder of CHiram Abiff— The martyrdom of
Jacques de Molay— The spirit fire and the pineal gland— The wanderings of the
astronomical CHiram— Cleopatra's Needle and Masons' marks.

THE PYTHAGOREAN THEORY OF MUSIC AND COLOR

Pythagoras and the diatonic scale— Therapeutic music— The music of the spheres— The
use of color in symbolism— The colors of the spectrum and the musical scale— Zodiacal
and planetary colors.

FISHES, INSECTS, ANIMALS, REPTILES, AND BIRDS

Jonah and the whale— The fish the symbol of Christ— The Egyptian scarab— Jupiter's 85

fly— The serpent of wisdom— The sacred crocodile.

FISHES, INSECTS, ANIMALS, REPTILES, AND BIRDS, PART II
The dove, the yonic emblem— The self -renewing phcenix— The Great Seal of the United
States of America— Bast, the cat goddess of the Ptolemies— Apis, the sacred bull— The
monoceros, or unicorn.

FLOWERS, PLANTS, FRUITS, AND TREES

The flower, a phallic symbol— The lotus blossom— The Scandinavian World Tree,
Yggdrasil— The sprig of acacia— The juice of the grape— The magical powers of the
mandrake.

STONES, METALS, AND GEMS

Prehistoric monuments— The tablets of the Law— The Holy Grail— The ages of the 97
world— Talismanic jewels— Zodiacal and planetary stones and gems.

CEREMONIAL MAGIC AND SORCERY

The black magic of Egypt— Doctor Johannes Faustus— The Mephistopheles of the
Grimores— The invocation of spirits— Pacts with demons— The symbolism of the
pentagram.

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THE ELEMENTS AND THEIR INHABITANTS.

The Paracelsian theory of submundanes— The orders of elemental beings— The
Gnomes, Undines, Salamanders, and Sylphs— Demonology— The incubus and
succubus— Vampirism.

HERMETIC PHARMACOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND THERAPEUTICS
The healing methods of Paracelsus— Palingenesis— Hermetic theories concerning the
cause of disease— Medicinal properties of herbs— The use of drugs in the Mysteries—
The sect of the Assassins.

THE QABBALAH, THE SECRET DOCTRINE OF ISRAEL

The written and unwritten laws— The origin of the Qabbalistic writings— Rabbi Simeon 113
ben Jochai— The great Qabbalistic books— The divisions of the Qabbalistic system— The

89

101

121

Sepher Yetzirah.

FUNDAMENTALS OF QABBALISTIC COSMOGONY AIN SOPH

and the Cosmic Egg—The Qabbahstic system of worlds—The Qabbahstic interpretation
of Ezekiel's vision— The great image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream— The Grand Man of
the universe— The fifty gates of hfe.

THE TREE OF THE SEPHIROTH

The thirty-two paths of wisdom— The Greater and the Lesser Face— Kircher's
Sephirothic Tree— The mystery of Daath— The three pillars supporting the Sephirothic
Tree— The four letters of the Sacred Name.

QABBALISTIC KEYS TO THE CREATION OF MAN

Gematria, Notarikon, and Temurah— The Elohim— The four Adams— Arabian traditions

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concerning Adam— Adam as the archetype of mankind— The early Christian Church on
the subject of marriage.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE TAROT CARDS

The origin of playing cards— The rota mundi of the Rosicrucians— The problem of Tarot
symbolism— The unnumbered card— The symbolism of the twenty-one major trumps—
The suit cards.

THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS

Moses, the Egyptian initiate— The building of the Tabernacle— The furnishings of the 133
Tabernacle— The Ark of the Covenant— The Robes of Glory— The Urim and Thummim.

THE FRATERNITY OF THE ROSE CROSS

The life of Father C.R.C.— Johann Valentin Andreas— The alchemical teachings of the
Rosicrucians— Significance of the Rose Cross— The Rosicrucian Temple— The adepts of
the Rose Cross.

ROSICRUCIAN DOCTRINES AND TENETS

The Confessio Fraternitatis—The Anatomy of Melancholy— John Heydon on
Rosicrucianism— The three mountains of the wise— The philosophical egg— The objects
of the Rosicrucian Order.

FIFTEEN ROSICRUCIAN AND QABBALISTIC DIAGRAMS

Schamayim, the Ocean of Spirit— The Seven Days of Creation— The symbolic tomb of
Christian Rosencreutz— The regions of the elements— The New Jerusalem— The grand
secret of Nature.

ALCHEMY AND ITS EXPONENTS

The multiplication of metals— The medal of Emperor Leopold I— Paracelsus of 149
Hohenheim— Raymond Lully— Nicholas Flarnmel— Count Bernard of Treviso.

THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ALCHEMY

The origin of alchemical philosophy— Alexander the Great and the talking trees— Nature 153
and art— Alchemical symbolism— The Song of Solomon— The Philosopher's Gold.

THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ALCHEMY, PART II

The alchemical prayer— The Emerald Tablet of Hermes— A letter from the Brothers of
R.C.— The magical Mountain of the Moon— An alchemical formula— The dew of the
sages.

THE CHEMICAL MARRIAGE

Christian Rosencreutz is invited to the Chemical Wedding— The Virgo Lucifera— The
philosophical Inquisition— The Tower of Olympus— The homunculi— The Knights of the
Golden Stone.

BACON, SHAKSPEARE, AND THE ROSICRUCIANS

The Rosicrucian mask— Life of William Shakspere— Sir Francis Bacon— The acrostic 165

signatures— The significant number thirty-three— The philosophic death.

THE CRYPTOGRAM AS A FACTOR IN SYMBOLIC PHILOSOPHY 169

Secret alphabets—The biUteral cipher—Pictorial ciphers— Acroamatic ciphers-
Numerical and musical ciphers— Code ciphers.

FREEMASONIC SYMBOLISM

The pillars raised by the sons of Seth— Enoch and the Royal Arches— The Dionysiac
Architects— The Roman Collegia— Solomon, the personification of Universal Wisdom— ^'^^
Freemasonry's priceless heritage.
MYSTIC CHRISTIANITY

St. Iranseus on the life of Christ— The original name of Jesus— The Christened man— 177
The Essenes— The Arthurian cycle— Merlin the Mage.

THE CROSS AND THE CRUCIFIXION

The Aurea Legenda— The lost libraries of Alexandria— The cross in pagan S5niibolism—
The crucifixion, a cosmic allegory— The crucifixion of Quetzalcoatl— The nails of the
Passion.

THE MYSTERY OF THE APOCALYPSE

The sacred city of Ephesus— The authorship of the Apocalypse— The Alpha and Omega- 185
-The Lamb of God-The Four Horsemen-The number of the beast.

THE FAITH OF ISLAM

The life of Mohammed— The revelation of the Koran— The valedictory pilgrimage— The 189
tomb of the Prophet— The Caaba at Mecca— The secret doctrine of Islam.

AMERICAN INDIAN SYMBOLISM

The ceremony of the peace pipe— The historical Hiawatha— The Popol Vu/i— American 193
Indian sorcery— The Mysteries of Xibalba— The Midewiwin.

THE MYSTERIES AND THEIR EMISSARIES

The Golden Chain of Homer— Hypatia, the Alexandrian Neo-Platonist— The "divine"
Cagliostro— The Comte de St. -Germain— The designing of the American flag— The "^^^
Declaration of Independence.

CONCLUSION 201
BIBLIOGRAPHY 205
INDEX 207

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Introduction

PHILOSOPHY is the science of estimating values. The superiority of any state or substance over
another is determined by philosophy. By assigning a position of primary importance to what remains
when all that is secondary has been removed, philosophy thus becomes the true index of priority or
emphasis in the realm of speculative thought. The mission of philosophy a priori is to establish the
relation of manifested things to their invisible ultimate cause or nature.

"Philosophy," writes Sir William Hamilton, "has been defined [as]: The science of things divine and
human, and of the causes in which they are contained [Cicero]; The science of effects by their causes
[Hobbes]; The science of sufficient reasons [Leibnitz]; The science of things possible, inasmuch as
they are possible [Wolf]; The science of things evidently deduced from first principles [Descartes];
The science of truths, sensible and abstract [de Condillac]; The application of reason to its legitimate
objects [Tennemann]; The science of the relations of all knowledge to the necessary ends of human
reason [Kant];The science of the original form of the ego or mental self [Krug]; The science of
sciences [Fichte]; The science of the absolute [von Schelling]; The science of the absolute indifference
of the ideal and real [von Schelling] —or. The identity of identity and non-identity [Hegel]." (See
Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic.)

The six headings under which the disciplines of philosophy are commonly classified are: metaphysics,
which deals v^th such abstract subjects as cosmology, theology, and the nature of being; logic, which
deals with the laws governing rational thinking, or, as it has been called, "the doctrine of fallacies";
ethics, which is the science of morality, individual responsibility, and character— concerned chiefly
with an effort to determine the nature of good; psychology, which is devoted to investigation and
classification of those forms of phenomena referable to a mental origin; epistemology, which is the
science concerned primarily with the nature of knowledge itself and the question of whether it may
exist in an absolute form; and aesthetics, which is the science of the nature of and the reactions
awakened by the beautiful, the harmonious, the elegant, and the noble.

Plato regarded philosophy as the greatest good ever imparted by Divinity to man. In the twentieth
century, however, it has become a ponderous and complicated structure of arbitrary and
irreconcilable notions—yet each substantiated by almost incontestible logic. The lofty theorems of the
old Academy which lamblichus likened to the nectar and ambrosia of the gods have been so
adulterated by opinion—which Heraclitus declared to be a falling sickness of the mind— that the
heavenly mead would now be quite unrecognizable to this great Neo-Platonist. Convincing evidence
of the increasing superficiality of modern scientific and philosophic thought is its persistent drift
towards materialism. When the great astronomer Laplace was asked by Napoleon why he had not
mentioned God in his Traite de la Mecanique Celeste, the mathematician naively replied: "Sire, I had
no need for that hypothesis!"

In his treatise on Atheism, Sir Francis Bacon tersely summarizes the situation thus: "A little
philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to
religion." The Metaphysics of Aristotle opens with these words: "All men naturally desire to know." To
satisfy this common urge the unfolding human intellect has explored the extremities of imaginable
space without and the extremities of imaginable self within, seeking to estimate the relationship
between the one and the all; the effect and the cause; Nature and the groundwork of Nature; the mind
and the source of the mind; the spirit and the substance of the spirit; the illusion and the reality.

An ancient philosopher once said: "He who has not even a knowledge of common things is a brute
among men. He who has an accurate knowledge of human concerns alone is a man among brutes. But

he who knows all that can be known by intellectual energy, is a God among men." Man's status in the

natural world is determined, therefore, by the quality of his thinking. He whose mind is enslaved to
his bestial instincts is philosophically not superior to the brute-, he whose rational faculties ponder
human affairs is a man; and he whose intellect is elevated to the consideration of divine realities is
already a demigod, for his being partakes of the luminosity with which his reason has brought him
into proximity. In his encomium of "the science of sciences" Cicero is led to exclaim: "O philosophy,
life's guide! O searcher— out of virtue and expeller of vices! What could we and every age of men have
been without thee? Thou hast produced cities; thou hast called men scattered about into the social
enjoyment of life."

In this age the word philosophy has little meaning unless accompanied by some other qualifying term.
The body of philosophy has been broken up into numerous isms more or less antagonistic, which
have become so concerned with the effort to disprove each other's fallacies that the sublimer issues of
divine order and human destiny have suffered deplorable neglect. The ideal function of philosophy is
to serve as the stabilizing influence in human thought. By virtue of its intrinsic nature it should
prevent man from ever establishing unreasonable codes of life. Philosophers themselves, however,
have frustrated the ends of philosophy by exceeding in their woolgathering those untrained minds
whom they are supposed to lead in the straight and narrow path of rational thinking. To list and
classify any but the more important of the now recognized schools of philosophy is beyond the space
limitations of this volume. The vast area of speculation covered by philosophy will be appreciated best
after a brief consideration of a few of the outstanding systems of philosophic discipline which have
swayed the world of thought during the last twenty-six centuries. The Greek school of philosophy had
its inception with the seven immortalized thinkers upon whom was first conferred the appellation of
Sophos, "the wise." According to Diogenes Laertius, these were Thales, Solon, Chilon, Pittacus, Bias,
Cleobulus, and Periander. Water was conceived by Thales to be the primal principle or element, upon
which the earth floated like a ship, and earthquakes were the result of disturbances in this universal
sea. Since Thales was an Ionian, the school perpetuating his tenets became known as the Ionic. He
died in 546 B.C., and was succeeded by Anaximander, who in turn was followed by Anaximenes,
Anaxagoras, and Archelaus, with whom the Ionic school ended. Anaximander, differing from his
master Thales, declared measureless and indefinable infinity to be the principle from which all things
were generated. Anaximenes asserted air to be the first element of the universe; that souls and even
the Deity itself were composed of it.

Anaxagoras (whose doctrine savors of atomism) held God to be an infinite self -moving mind; that this
divine infinite Mind, not

BABBITT'S ATOM.

From Babbitt's Principles of Light and Color.

Since the postulation of the atomic theory by Democritus, many efforts have been made to determine the structure of
atoms and the method by which they unite to form various elements, Even science has not refrained from entering this
field of speculation and presents for consideration most detailed and elaborate representations of these minute bodies. By
far the most remarkable conception of the atom evolved during the last century is that produced by the genius of Dr.
Edwin D. Babbitt and which is reproduced herewith. The diagram is self-explanatory. It must be borne in mind that this
apparently massive structure is actually s minute as to defy analysis. Not only did Dr. Babbitt create this form of the atom
but he also contrived a method whereby these particles could be grouped together in an orderly manner and thus result in
the formation of molecular bodies.

p. 14

inclosed in any body, is the efficient cause of all things; out of the infinite matter consisting of similar
parts, everything being made according to its species by the divine mind, who when all things were at
first confusedly mingled together, came and reduced them to order." Archelaus declared the principle
of all things to be twofold: mind (which was incorporeal) and air (which was corporeal), the
rarefaction and condensation of the latter resulting in fire and water respectively. The stars were
conceived by Archelaus to be burning iron places. Heraclitus (who lived 536-470 B.C. and is
sometimes included in the Ionic school) in his doctrine of change and eternal flux asserted fire to be

the first element and also the state into which the world would ultimately be reabsorbed. The soul of
the world he regarded as an exhalation from its humid parts, and he declared the ebb and flow of the
sea to be caused by the sun.

After Pjithagoras of Samos, its founder, the Italic or Pythagorean school numbers among its most
distinguished representatives Empedocles, Epicharmus, Archytas, Alcmseon, Hippasus, Philolaus,
and Eudoxus. Pythagoras (580-500? B.C.) conceived mathematics to be the most sacred and exact of
all the sciences, and demanded of all who came to him for study a familiarity with arithmetic, music,
astronomy, and geometry. He laid special emphasis upon the philosophic life as a prerequisite to
wisdom. Pythagoras was one of the first teachers to establish a community wherein all the members
were of mutual assistance to one another in the common attainment of the higher sciences. He also
introduced the discipline of retrospection as essential to the development of the spiritual mind.
Pjithagoreanism may be summarized as a system of metaphysical speculation concerning the
relationships between numbers and the causal agencies of existence. This school also first expounded
the theory of celestial harmonics or "the music of the spheres." John Reuchlin said of Pythagoras that
he taught nothing to his disciples before the discipline of silence, silence being the first rudiment of
contemplation. In his Sophist, Aristotle credits Empedocles with the discovery of rhetoric. Both
Pythagoras and Empedocles accepted the theory of transmigration, the latter saying: "A boy I was,
then did a maid become; a plant, bird, fish, and in the vast sea swum." Archytas is credited with
invention of the screw and the crane. Pleasure he declared to be a pestilence because it was opposed
to the temperance of the mind; he considered a man without deceit to be as rare as a fish without
bones.

The Eleatic sect was founded by Xenophanes (570-480 B.C.), who was conspicuous for his attacks
upon the cosmologic and theogonic fables of Homer and Hesiod. Xenophanes declared that God was
"one and incorporeal, in substance and figure round, in no way resembling man; that He is all sight
and all hearing, but breathes not; that He is all things, the mind and wisdom, not generate but eternal,
impassible, immutable, and rational." Xenophanes believed that all existing things were eternal, that
the world was without beginning or end, and that everything which was generated was subject to
corruption. He lived to great age and is said to have buried his sons with his own hands. Parmenides
studied under Xenophanes, but never entirely subscribed to his doctrines. Parmenides declared the
senses to be uncertain and reason the only criterion of truth. He first asserted the earth to be round
and also divided its surface into zones of hear and cold.

Melissus, who is included in the Eleatic school, held many opinions in common with Parmenides. He
declared the universe to be immovable because, occupying all space, there was no place to which it
could be moved. He further rejected the theory of a vacuum in space. Zeno of Elea also maintained
that a vacuum could not exist. Rejecting the theory of motion, he asserted that there was but one God,
who was an eternal, ungenerated Being. Like Xenophanes, he conceived Deity to be spherical in shape.
Leucippus held the Universe to consist of two parts: one full and the other a vacuum. From the
Infinite a host of minute fragmentary bodies descended into the vacuum, where, through continual
agitation, they organized themselves into spheres of substance.

The great Democritus to a certain degree enlarged upon the atomic theory of Leucippus. Democritus
declared the principles of all things to be twofold: atoms and vacuum. Both, he asserted, are infinite-
atoms in number, vacuum in magnitude. Thus all bodies must be composed of atoms or vacuum.
Atoms possessed two properties, form and size, both characterized by infinite variety. The soul
Democritus also conceived to be atomic in structure and subject to dissolution with the body. The
mind he believed to be composed of spiritual atoms. Aristotle intimates that Democritus obtained his
atomic theory from the Pythagorean doctrine of the Monad. Among the Eleatics are also included
Protagoras and Anaxarchus.

Socrates (469-399 B.C.), the founder of the Socratic sect, being fundamentally a Skeptic, did not force
his opinions upon others, but through the medium of questionings caused each man to give
expression to his own philosophy. According to Plutarch, Socrates conceived every place as
appropriate for reaching in that the whole world was a school of virtue. He held that the soul existed
before the body and, prior to immersion therein, was endowed with all knowledge; that when the soul
entered into the material form it became stupefied, but that by discourses upon sensible objects it was
caused to reawaken and to recover its original knowledge. On these premises was based his attempt
to stimulate the soul-power through irony and inductive reasoning. It has been said of Socrates that
the sole subject of his philosophy was man. He himself declared philosophy to be the way of true
happiness and its purpose twofold: (1) to contemplate God, and (2) to abstract the soul from
corporeal sense.

The principles of all things he conceived to be three in number: God, matter, and ideas. Of God he
said: "What He is I know not; what He is not I know." Matter he defined as the subject of generation
and corruption; idea, as an incorruptible substance—the intellect of God. Wisdom he considered the
sum of the virtues. Among the prominent members of the Socratic sect were Xenophon, ^Eschines,
Crito, Simon, Glauco, Simmias, and Cebes. Professor Zeller, the great authority on ancient
philosophies, has recently declared the writings of Xenophon relating to Socrates to be forgeries.
When The Clouds of Aristophanes, a comedy written to ridicule the theories of Socrates, was first
presented, the great Skeptic himself attended the play. During the performance, which caricatured
him seated in a basket high in the air studying the sun, Socrates rose calmly in his seat, the better to
enable the Athenian spectators to compare his own unprepossessing features with the grotesque
mask worn by the actor impersonating him.

The Elean sect was founded by Phaedo of Elis, a youth of noble family, who was bought from slavery
at the instigation of Socrates and who became his devoted disciple. Plato so highly admired Phaedo's
mentality that he named one of the most famous of his discourses The Phaedo. Phaedo was succeeded
in his school by Plisthenes, who in turn was followed by Menedemus. Of the doctrines of the Elean
sect little is known. Menedemus is presumed to have been inclined toward the teachings of Stilpo and
the Megarian sect. When Menedemus' opinions were demanded, he answered that he was free, thus
intimating that most men were enslaved to their opinions. Menedemus was apparently of a somewhat
belligerent temperament and often returned from his lectures in a badly bruised condition. The most
famous of his propositions is stated thus: That which is not the same is different from that with which
it is not the same. This point being admitted, Menedemus continued: To benefit is not the same as
good, therefore good does not benefit. After the time of Menedemus the Elean sect became known as
the Eretrian. Its exponents denounced all negative propositions and all complex and abstruse theories,
declaring that only affirmative and simple doctrines could be true.

The Megarian sect was founded by Euclid of Megara (not the celebrated mathematician), a great
admirer of Socrates. The Athenians passed a law decreeing death to any citizen of Megara found in
the city of Athens. Nothing daunted, Euclid donned woman's clothing and went at night to study with
Socrates. After the cruel death of their teacher, the disciples of Socrates, fearing a similar fate, fled to
Megara, where they were entertained with great honor by Euclid. The Megarian school accepted the
Socratic doctrine that virtue is wisdom, adding to it the Eleatic concept that goodness is absolute
unity and all change an illusion of the senses. Euclid maintained that good has no opposite and
therefore evil does not exist. Being asked about the nature of the gods, he declared himself ignorant of
their disposition save that they hated curious persons.

The Megarians are occasionally included among the dialectic philosophers. Euclid (who died 374?
B.C.) was succeeded in his school by Eubulides, among whose disciples were Alexinus and Apollonius
Cronus. Euphantus, who lived to great age and wrote many tragedies, was among the foremost
followers of Eubulides. Diodorus is usually included in the Megarian school, having heard Eubulides

lecture. According to legend, Diodorus died of grief because he could not answer instantly certain
questions asked him by Stilpo, at one time master of the Megarian school. Diodorus held that nothing

PLATO.

From Thomasin's Recuil des Figures, Groupes, Thermes, Fontaines, Vases et autres Ornaments.

Plato's real name was Aristocles. When his father brought him to study with Socrates, the great Skeptic declared that on
the previous night he had dreamed of a white swan, which was an omen that his new disciple was to become one of the
world's illumined. There is a tradition that the immortal Plato was sold as a slave by the King of Sicily.

p-15

can be moved, since to be moved it must be taken out of the place in which it is and put into the place
where it is not, which is impossible because all things must always be in the places where they are.

The Cynics were a sect founded by Antisthenes of Athens (444-365? B.C.), a disciple of Socrates.
Their doctrine may be described as an extreme individualism which considers man as existing for
himself alone and advocates surrounding him by inharmony, suffering, and direst need that be may
thereby be driven to retire more completely into his own nature. The Cynics renounced all worldly
possessions, living in the rudest shelters and subsisting upon the coarsest and simplest food. On the
assumption that the gods wanted nothing, the Cynics affirmed that those whose needs were fewest
consequently approached closest to the divinities. Being asked what he gained by a life of philosophy,
Antisthenes replied that he had learned how to converse with himself.

Diogenes of Sinopis is remembered chiefly for the tub in the Metroum which for many years served
him as a home. The people of Athens loved the beggar-philosopher, and when a youth in jest bored
holes in the tub, the city presented Diogenes with a new one and punished the youth. Diogenes
believed that nothing in life can be rightly accomplished without exercitation. He maintained that
everything in the world belongs to the wise, a declaration which he proved by the following logic: "All
things belong to the gods; the gods are friends to wise persons; all things are common amongst

friends; therefore all things belong to the wise." Among the Cynics are Monimus, Onesicritus, Crates,
Metrocles, Hipparchia (who married Crates), Menippus, and Menedemus.

The Cyrenaic sect, founded by Aristippus of Cyrene (435-356? B.C.), promulgated the doctrine of
hedonism. Learning of the fame of Socrates, Aristippus journeyed to Athens and applied himself to
the teachings of the great Skeptic. Socrates, pained by the voluptuous and mercenary tendencies of
Aristippus, vainly labored to reform the young man. Aristippus has the distinction of being consistent
in principle and practice, for he lived in perfect harmony with his philosophy that the quest of
pleasure was the chief purpose of life. The doctrines of the Cyrenaics maybe summarized thus: All
that is actually known concerning any object or condition is the feeling which it awakens in man's
own nature. In the sphere of ethics that which awakens the most pleasant feeling is consequently to
be esteemed as the greatest good. Emotional reactions are classified as pleasant or gentle, harsh, and
mean. The end of pleasant emotion is pleasure; the end of harsh emotion, grief; the end of mean
emotion, nothing.

Through mental perversity some men do not desire pleasure. In reality, however, pleasure (especially
of a physical nature) is the true end of existence and exceeds in every way mental and spiritual
enjoyments. Pleasure, furthermore, is limited wholly to the moment; now is the only time. The past
cannot be regarded without regret and the future cannot be faced without misgiving; therefore
neither is conducive to pleasure. No man should grieve, for grief is the most serious of all diseases.
Nature permits man to do anything he desires; he is limited only by his own laws and customs. A
philosopher is one free from envy, love, and superstition, and whose days are one long round of
pleasure. Indulgence was thus elevated by Aristippus to the chief position among the virtues. He
further declared philosophers to differ markedly from other men in that they alone would not change
the order of their lives if all the laws of men were abolished. Among prominent philosophers
influenced by the Cyrenaic doctrines were Hegesias, Anniceris, Theodoras, and Bion.

The sect of the Academic philosophers instituted by Plato (427-347 B.C.) was divided into three major
parts—the old, the middle, and the new Academy. Among the old Academics were Speusippus,
Zenocrates, Poleman, Crates, and Crantor. Arcesilaus instituted the middle Academy and Carneades
founded the new. Chief among the masters of Plato was Socrates. Plato traveled widely and was
initiated by the Egyptians into the profundities of Hermetic philosophy. He also derived much from
the doctrines of the Pj^hagoreans. Cicero describes the threefold constitution of Platonic philosophy
as comprising ethics, physics, and dialectics. Plato defined good as threefold in character: good in the
soul, expressed through the virtues; good in the body, expressed through the symmetry and
endurance of the parts; and good in the external world, expressed through social position and
companionship. In The Book of Speusippus on Platonic Definitions, that great Platonist thus defines
God: "A being that lives immortally by means of Himself alone, sufficing for His own blessedness, the
eternal Essence, cause of His own goodness. According to Plato, the One is the term most suitable for
defining the Absolute, since the whole precedes the parts and diversity is dependent on unity, but
unity not on diversity. The One, moreover, is before being, for to be is an attribute or condition of the
One.

Platonic philosophy is based upon the postulation of three orders of being: that which moves
unmoved, that which is self -moved, and that which is moved. That which is immovable but moves is
anterior to that which is self-moved, which likewise is anterior to that which it moves. That in which
motion is inherent cannot be separated from its motive power; it is therefore incapable of dissolution.
Of such nature are the immortals. That which has motion imparted to it from another can be
separated from the source of its an animating principle; it is therefore subject to dissolution. Of such
nature are mortal beings. Superior to both the mortals and the immortals is that condition which
continually moves yet itself is unmoved. To this constitution the power of abidance is inherent; it is
therefore the Divine Permanence upon which all things are established. Being nobler even than self-
motion, the unmoved Mover is the first of all dignities. The Platonic discipline was founded upon the

theory that learning is really reminiscence, or the bringing into objectivity of knowledge formerly
acquired by the soul in a previous state of existence. At the entrance of the Platonic school in the
Academy were written the words: "Let none ignorant of geometry enter here."

After the death of Plato, his disciples separated into two groups. One, the Academics, continued to
meet in the Academy where once he had presided; the other, the Peripatetics, removed to the Lyceum
under the leadership of Aristotle (384-322 B.C.). Plato recognized Aristotle as his greatest disciple
and, according to Philoponus, referred to him as "the mind of the school." If Aristotle were absent
from the lectures, Plato would say: "The intellect is not here." Of the prodigious genius of Aristotle,
Thomas Taylor writes in his introduction to The Metaphysics:

"When we consider that he was not only well acquainted with every science, as his works abundantly
evince, but that he wrote on almost every subject which is comprehended in the circle of human
knowledge, and this with matchless accuracy and skill, we know not which to admire most, the
penetration or extent of his mind."

THE PROBLEM OF DIVERSITY.

From Kircher's Ars Magna Sciendi.

In the above diagram Kircher arranges eighteen objects in two vertical columns and then determines he number of
arrangements in which they can be combined. By the same method Kircher further estimates that fifty objects may be
arranged in 1,273,726,838,815,420,339,851,343,083,767,005,515,293,749,454,795,408,000,000,000,000 combinations.
From this it will be evident that infinite diversity is possible, for the countless parts of the universe may be related to each
other in an incalculable number of ways; and through the various combinations of these limitless subdivisions of being.

infinite individuality and infinite variety must inevitably result. Thus it is fiirther evident that life can never become
monotonous or exhaust the possibilities of variety.

p. 16

Of the philosophy of Aristotle, the same author says: "The end of Aristotle's moral philosophy is
perfection through the virtues, and the end of his contemplative philosophy an union with the one
principle of all things."

Aristotle conceived philosophy to be twofold: practical and theoretical. Practical philosophy
embraced ethics and politics; theoretical philosophy, physics and logic. Metaphysics he considered to
be the science concerning that substance which has the principle of motion and rest inherent to itself.
To Aristotle the soul is that by which man first lives, feels, and understands. Hence to the soul he
assigned three faculties: nutritive, sensitive, and intellective. He further considered the soul to be
twofold—rational and irrational—and in some particulars elevated the sense perceptions above the
mind. Aristotle defined wisdom as the science of first Causes. The four major divisions of his
philosophy are dialectics, physics, ethics, and metaphysics. God is defined as the First Mover, the Best
of beings, an immovable Substance, separate from sensible things, void of corporeal quantity, without
parts and indivisible. Platonism is based upon a priori reasoning; Aristotelianism upon a posteriori
reasoning. Aristotle taught his pupil, Alexander the Great, to feel that if he had not done a good deed
he had not reigned that day. Among his followers were Theophrastus, Strato, Lyco, Aristo, Critolaus,
and Diodorus.

Of Skepticism as propounded by Pyrrho of Elis (365-275 B.C.) and by Timon, Sextus Empiricus said
that those who seek must find or deny they have found or can find, or persevere in the inquiry. Those
who suppose they have found truth are called Dogmatists; those who think it incomprehensible are
the Academics; those who still seek are the Skeptics. The attitude of Skepticism towards the knowable
is summed up by Sextus Empiricus in the following words: "But the chief ground of Skepticism is that
to every reason there is an opposite reason equivalent, which makes us forbear to dogmatize." The
Skeptics were strongly opposed to the Dogmatists and were agnostic in that they held the accepted
theories regarding Deity to be self-contradictory and undemonstrable. "How," asked the Skeptic, "can
we have indubitate knowledge of God, knowing not His substance, form or place; for, while
philosophers disagree irreconcilably on these points, their conclusions cannot be considered as
undoubtedly true?" Since absolute knowledge was considered unattainable, the Skeptics declared the
end of their discipline to be: "In opinionatives, indisturbance; in impulsives, moderation; and in
disquietives, suspension."

The sect of the Stoics was founded by Zeno (340-265 B.C.), the Cittiean, who studied under Crates the
Cynic, from which sect the Stoics had their origin. Zeno was succeeded by Cleanthes, Chrysippus,
Zeno of Tarsis, Diogenes, Antipater, Panaetius, and Posidonius. Most famous of the Roman Stoics are
Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. The Stoics were essentially pantheists, since they maintained that as
there is nothing better than the world, the world is God. Zeno declared that the reason of the world is
diffused throughout it as seed. Stoicism is a materialistic philosophy, enjoining voluntary resignation
to natural law. Chrysippus maintained that good and evil being contrary, both are necessary since
each sustains the other. The soul was regarded as a body distributed throughout the physical form
and subject to dissolution with it. Though some of the Stoics held that wisdom prolonged the
existence of the soul, actual immortality is not included in their tenets. The soul was said to be
composed of eight parts: the five senses, the generative power, the vocal power, and an eighth, or
hegemonic, part. Nature was defined as God mixed throughout the substance of the world. All things
were looked upon as bodies either corporeal or incorporeal.

Meekness marked the attitude of the Stoic philosopher. While Diogenes was delivering a discourse
against anger, one of his listeners spat contemptuously in his face. Receiving the insult with humility.

the great Stoic was moved to retort: "I am not angry, but am in doubt whether I ought to be so or
not!"

Epicurus of Samos (341-270 B.C.) was the founder of the Epicurean sect, which in many respects
resembles the Cyrenaic but is higher in its ethical standards. The Epicureans also posited pleasure as
the most desirable state, but conceived it to be a grave and dignified state achieved through
renunciation of those mental and emotional inconstancies which are productive of pain and sorrow.
Epicurus held that as the pains of the mind and soul are more grievous than those of the body, so the
joys of the mind and soul exceed those of the body. The Cyrenaics asserted pleasure to be dependent
upon action or motion; the Epicureans claimed rest or lack of action to be equally productive of
pleasure. Epicurus accepted the philosophy of Democritus concerning the nature of atoms and based
his physics upon this theory. The Epicurean philosophy may be summed up in four canons:

"(1) Sense is never deceived; and therefore every sensation and every perception of an appearance is
true. (2) Opinion follows upon sense and is superadded to sensation, and capable of truth or
falsehood, (3) All opinion attested, or not contradicted by the evidence of sense, is true. (4) An
opinion contradicted, or not attested by the evidence of sense, is false." Among the Epicureans of note
were Metrodorus of Lampsacus, Zeno of Sidon, and Phaedrus.

Eclecticism may be defined as the practice of choosing apparently irreconcilable doctrines from
antagonistic schools and constructing therefrom a composite philosophic system in harmony with the
convictions of the eclectic himself. Eclecticism can scarcely be considered philosophically or logically
sound, for as individual schools arrive at their conclusions by different methods of reasoning, so the
philosophic product of fragments from these schools must necessarily be built upon the foundation of
conflicting premises. Eclecticism, accordingly, has been designated the layman's cult. In the Roman
Empire little thought was devoted to philosophic theory; consequently most of its thinkers were of the
eclectic type. Cicero is the outstanding example of early Eclecticism, for his writings are a veritable
potpourri of invaluable fragments from earlier schools of thought. Eclecticism appears to have had its
inception at the moment when men first doubted the possibility of discovering ultimate truth.
Observing all so-called knowledge to be mere opinion at best, the less studious furthermore
concluded that the wiser course to pursue was to accept that which appeared to be the most
reasonable of the teachings of any school or individual. From this practice, however, arose a pseudo-
broadmindedness devoid of the element of preciseness found in true logic and philosophy.

The Neo-Pythagorean school flourished in Alexandria during the first century of the Christian Era.
Only two names stand out in connection with it~Apollonius of Tyana and Moderatus of Gades. Neo-
Pythagoreanism is a link between the older pagan philosophies and Neo-Platonism. Like the former,
it contained many exact elements of thought derived from Pythagoras and Plato; like the latter, it
emphasized metaphysical speculation and ascetic habits. A striking similarity has been observed by
several authors between Neo-Pythagoreanism and the doctrines of the Essenes. Special emphasis was
laid upon the mystery of numbers, and it is possible that the Neo-Pythagoreans had a far wider
knowledge of the true teachings of Pythagoras than is available today. Even in the first century
Pythagoras was regarded more as a god than a man, and the revival of his philosophy was resorted to
apparently in the hope that his name would stimulate interest in the deeper systems of learning. But
Greek philosophy had passed the zenith of its splendor; the mass of humanity was awakening to the
importance of physical life and physical phenomena. The emphasis upon earthly affairs which began
to assert itself later reached maturity of expression in twentieth century materialism and
commercialism.

^NEAS AT THE GATE OF HELL.

From Virgil's ^neid. (Dryden's translation.)

Virgil describes part of the ritual of a Greek Mystery—possibly the Eleusinian~in his account of the descent of ^neas, to
the gate of hell under the guidance of the Sibyl. Of that part of the ritual portrayed above the immortal poet writes:

"Full in the midst of this infernal Road,
An Elm displays her dusky Arms abroad;
The God of Sleep there hides his heavy Head
And empty Dreams on ev'ry Leaf are spread.
Of various Forms, unnumber'd Specters more;
Centaurs, and double Shapes, besiege the Door:
Before the Passage horrid Hydra stands.
And Briareus with all his hundred Hands:
Gorgons, Geryon with his triple Frame;
And vain Chimsera vomits empty Flame.
The Chief unsheath'd his shining Steel, prepar'd,
Tho seiz'd with sudden Fear, to force the Guard.
Off ring his brandish'd Weapon at their Face,
Had not the Sibyl stop'd his eager Pace,
And told him what those empty Phantoms were;
Forms without Bodies, and impassive Air."

p. 17

even though Neo-Platonism was to intervene and many centuries pass before this emphasis took
definite form.

Although Ammonius Saccus was long believed to be the founder of Neo-Platonism, the school had its
true beginning in Plotinus (A.D. 204-269?). Prominent among the Neo-Platonists of Alexandria, Syria,
Rome, and Athens were Porphyry, lamblichus, Sallustius, the Emperor Julian, Plutarch, and Proclus.
Neo-Platonism was the supreme effort of decadent pagandom to publish and thus preserve for
posterity its secret (or unwritten) doctrine. In its teachings ancient idealism found its most perfect
expression. Neo-Platonism was concerned almost exclusively with the problems of higher

metaphysics. It recognized the existence of a secret and all-important doctrine which from the time of
the earliest civilizations had been concealed within the rituals, symbols, and allegories of religions
and philosophies. To the mind unacquainted with its fundamental tenets, Neo-Platonism may appear
to be a mass of speculations interspersed with extravagant flights of fancy. Such a viewpoint, however,
ignores the institutions of the Mysteries—those secret schools into whose profundities of idealism
nearly all of the first philosophers of antiquity were initiated.

When the physical body of pagan thought collapsed, an attempt was made to resurrect the form by
instilling new life into it by the unveiling of its mystical truths. This effort apparently was barren of
results. Despite the antagonism, however, between pristine Christianity and Neo-Platonism many
basic tenets of the latter were accepted by the former and woven into the fabric of Patristic philosophy.
Briefly described, Neo-Platonism is a philosophic code which conceives every physical or concrete
body of doctrine to be merely the shell of a spiritual verity which may be discovered through
meditation and certain exercises of a mystic nature. In comparison to the esoteric spiritual truths
which they contain, the corporeal bodies of religion and philosophy were considered relatively of little
value. Likewise, no emphasis was placed upon the material sciences.

The term Patristic is employed to designate the philosophy of the Fathers of the early Christian
Church. Patristic philosophy is divided into two general epochs: ante-Nicene and post-Nicene. The
ante-Nicene period in the main was devoted to attacks upon paganism and to apologies and defenses
of Christianity. The entire structure of pagan philosophy was assailed and the dictates of faith
elevated above those of reason. In some instances efforts were made to reconcile the evident truths of
paganism with Christian revelation. Eminent among the ante-Nicene Fathers were St. Irenseus,
Clement of Alexandria, and Justin Martyr. In the post-Nicene period more emphasis was placed upon
the unfoldment of Christian philosophy along Platonic and Neo-Platonic lines, resulting in the
appearance of many strange documents of a lengthy, rambling, and ambiguous nature, nearly all of
which were philosophically unsound. The post-Nicene philosophers included Athanasius, Gregory of
Nyssa, and Cyril of Alexandria. The Patristic school is notable for its emphasis upon the supremacy of
man throughout the universe. Man was conceived to be a separate and divine creation—the crowning
achievement of Deity and an exception to the suzerainty of natural law. To the Patristics it was
inconceivable that there should ever exist another creature so noble, so fortunate, or so able as man,
for whose sole benefit and edification all the kingdoms of Nature were primarily created.

Patristic philosophy culminated in Augustinianism, which may best be defined as Christian
Platonism. Opposing the Pelasgian doctrine that man is the author of his own salvation,
Augustinianism elevated the church and its dogmas to a position of absolute infallibility— a position
which it successfully maintained until the Reformation. Gnosticism, a system of emanationism,
interpreting Christianity in terms of Greek, Egj^tian, and Persian metaphysics, appeared in the latter
part of the first century of the Christian Era. Practically all the information extant regarding the
Gnostics and their doctrines, stigmatized as heresy by the ante-Nicene Church Fathers, is derived
from the accusations made against them, particularly from the writings of St. Irengeus. In the third
century appeared Manichseism, a dualistic system of Persian origin, which taught that Good and Evil
were forever contending for universal supremacy. In Manichseism, Christ is conceived to be the
Principle of redeeming Good in contradistinction to the man Jesus, who was viewed as an evil
personality.

The death of Boethius in the sixth century marked the close of the ancient Greek school of philosophy.
The ninth century saw the rise of the new school of Scholasticism, which sought to reconcile
philosophy with theology. Representative of the main divisions of the Scholastic school were the
Eclecticism of John of Salisbury, the Mysticism of Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Bonaventura, the
Rationalism of Peter Abelard, and the pantheistic Mysticism of Meister Eckhart. Among the Arabian
Aristotelians were Avicenna and Averroes. The zenith of Scholasticism was reached with the advent of
Albertus Magnus and his illustrious disciple, St. Thomas Aquinas. Thomism (the philosophy of St.

Thomas Aquinas, sometimes referred to as the Christian Aristotle) sought to reconcile the various
factions of the Scholastic school. Thomism was basically Aristotelian with the added concept that
faith is a projection of reason.

Scotism, or the doctrine of Voluntarism promulgated by Joannes Duns Scotus, a Franciscan
Scholastic, emphasized the power and efficacy of the individual will, as opposed to Thomism. The
outstanding characteristic of Scholasticism was its frantic effort to cast all European thought in an
Aristotelian mold. Eventually the Schoolmen descended to the level of mere wordmongers who
picked the words of Aristotle so clean that nothing but the bones remained. It was this decadent
school of meaningless verbiage against which Sir Francis Bacon directed his bitter shafts of irony and
which he relegated to the potter's field of discarded notions.

The Baconian, or inductive, system of reasoning (whereby facts are arrived at by a process of
observation and verified by experimentation) cleared the way for the schools of modern science.
Bacon was followed by Thomas Hobbes (for some time his secretary), who held mathematics to be the
only exact science and thought to be essentially a mathematical process. Hobbes declared matter to
be the only reality, and scientific investigation to be limited to the study of bodies, the phenomena
relative to their probable causes, and the consequences which flow from them under every variety of
circumstance. Hobbes laid special stress upon the significance of words, declaring understanding to
be the faculty of perceiving the relationship between words and the objects for which they stand.

Having broken away from the scholastic and theological schools, Post-Reformation, or modern,
philosophy experienced a most prolific growth along many diverse lines. According to Humanism,
man is the measure of all things; Rationalism makes the reasoning faculties the basis of all knowledge;
Political Philosophy holds that man must comprehend his natural, social, and national privileges;
Empiricism declares that alone to be true which is demonstrable by experiment or experience;
Moralism emphasizes the necessity of right conduct as a fundamental philosophic tenet; Idealism
asserts the realities of the universe to be superphysical—either mental or psychical; Realism, the
reverse; and Phenomenalism restricts knowledge to facts or events which can be scientifically
described or explained. The most recent developments in the field of philosophic thought are
Behaviorism and Neo-Realism. The former estimates the intrinsic characteristics through an analysis
of behavior; the latter maybe summed up as the total extinction of idealism.

Baruch de Spinoza, the eminent Dutch philosopher, conceived God to be a substance absolutely self-
existent and needing no other conception besides itself to render it complete and intelligible. The
nature of this Being was held by Spinoza to be comprehensible only through its attributes, which are
extension and thought: these combine

THE PTOLEMAIC SCHEME OF THE UNIVERSE.

From an old print, courtesy of Carl Oscar Borg.

In ridiculing the geocentric system of astronomy expounded by Claudius Ptolemy, modem astronomers have overlooked
the philosophic key to the Ptolemaic system. The universe of Ptolemy is a diagrammatic representation of the
relationships existing between the various divine and elemental parts of every creature, and is not concerned with
astronomy as that science is now comprehended. In the above figure, special attention is called to the three circles of
zodiacs surrounding the orbits of the planets. These zodiacs represent the threefold spiritual constitution of the universe.
The orbits of the planets are the Governors of the World and the four elemental spheres in the center represent the
physical constitution of both man and the universe, Ptolemy's scheme of the universe is simply a cross section of the
universal aura, the planets and elements to which he refers having no relation to those recognized by modern astronomers.

p. 18

to form an endless variety of aspects or modes. The mind of man is one of the modes of infinite
thought; the body of man one of the modes of infinite extension. Through reason man is enabled to
elevate himself above the illusionary world of the senses and find eternal repose in perfect union with
the Divine Essence. Spinoza, it has been said, deprived God of all personality, making Deity
synonymous with the universe.

German philosophy had its inception with Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz, whose theories are
permeated with the qualities of optimism and idealism. Leibnitz's criteria of sufficient reason
revealed to him the insufficiency of Descartes' theory of extension, and he therefore concluded that
substance itself contained an inherent power in the form of an incalculable number of separate and
all-sufficient units. Matter reduced to its ultimate particles ceases to exist as a substantial body, being
resolved into a mass of immaterial ideas or metaphysical units of power, to which Leibnitz applied the

term monad. Thus the universe is composed of an infinite number of separate monadic entities
unfolding spontaneously through the objectification of innate active qualities. All things are conceived
as consisting of single monads of varying magnitudes or of aggregations of these bodies, which may
exist as physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual substances. God is the first and greatest Monad; the
spirit of man is an awakened monad in contradistinction to the lower kingdoms whose governing
monadic powers are in a semi-dormant state.

Though a product of the Leibnitzian-Wolfian school, Immanuel Kant, like Locke, dedicated himself to
investigation of the powers and limits of human understanding. The result was his critical philosophy,
embracing the critique of pure reason, the critique of practical reason, and the critique of judgment.
Dr. W. J. Durant sums up Kant's philosophy in the concise statement that he rescued mind from
matter. The mind Kant conceived to be the selector and coordinator of all perceptions, which in turn
are the result of sensations grouping themselves about some external object. In the classification of
sensations and ideas the mind employs certain categories: of sense, time and space; of understanding,
quality, relation, modality, and causation; and the unity of apperception. Being subject to
mathematical laws, time and space are considered absolute and sufficient bases for exact thinking.
Kant's practical reason declared that while the nature of noumenon could never be comprehended by
the reason, the fact of morality proves the existence of three necessary postulates: free will,
immortality, and God. In the critique of judgment Kant demonstrates the union of the noumenon and
the phenomenon in art and biological evolution. German superintellectualism is the outgrowth of an
overemphasis of Kant's theory of the autocratic supremaq?^ of the mind over sensation and thought.
The philosophy of Johann Gottlieb Fichte was a projection of Kant's philosophy, wherein he
attempted to unite Kant's practical reason with his pure reason. Fichte held that the known is merely
the contents of the consciousness of the knower, and that nothing can exist to the knower until it
becomes part of those contents. Nothing is actually real, therefore, except the facts of one's own
mental experience.

Recognizing the necessity of certain objective realities, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, who
succeeded Fichte in the chair of philosophy at Jena, first employed the doctrine of identity as the
groundwork for a complete system of philosophy. Whereas Fichte regarded self as the Absolute, von
Schelling conceived infinite and eternal Mind to be the all-pervading Cause. Realization of the
Absolute is made possible by intellectual intuition which, being a superior or spiritual sense, is able to
dissociate itself from both subject and object. Kant's categories of space and time von Schelling
conceived to be positive and negative respectively, and material existence the result of the reciprocal
action of these two expressions. Von Schelling also held that the Absolute in its process of self-
development proceeds according to a law or rhythm consisting of three movements. The first, a
reflective movement, is the attempt of the Infinite to embody itself in the finite. The second, that of
subsumption, is the attempt of the Absolute to return to the Infinite after involvement in the finite.
The third, that of reason, is the neutral point wherein the two former movements are blended.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel considered the intellectual intuition of von Schelling to be
philosophically unsound and hence turned his attention to the establishment of a system of
philosophy based upon pure logic. Of Hegel it has been said that he began with nothing and showed
with logical precision how everything had proceeded from it in logical order. Hegel elevated logic to a
position of supreme importance, in fact as a quality of the Absolute itself. God he conceived to be a
process of unfolding which never attains to the condition of unfoldment. In like manner, thought is
without either beginning or end. Hegel further believed that all things owe their existence to their
opposites and that all opposites are actually identical. Thus the only existence is the relationship of
opposites to each other, through whose combinations new elements are produced. As the Divine
Mind is an eternal process of thought never accomplished, Hegel assails the very foundation of
theism and his philosophy limits immortality to the everflowing Deity alone. Evolution is
consequently the never-ending flow of Divine Consciousness out of itself; all creation, though
continually moving, never arrives at any state other than that of ceaseless flow.

Johann Friedrich Herbart's philosophy was a reahstic reaction from the idealism of Fichte and von
Schelling. To Herbart the true basis of philosophy was the great mass of phenomena continually
moving through the human mind. Examination of phenomena, however, demonstrates that a great
part of it is unreal, at least incapable of supplying the mind with actual truth. To correct the false
impressions caused by phenomena and discover reality, Herbart believed it necessary to resolve
phenomena into separate elements, for reality exists in the elements and not in the whole. He stated
that objects can be classified by three general terms: thing, matter, and mind; the first a unit of
several properties, the second an existing object, the third a self-conscious being. All three notions
give rise, however, to certain contradictions, with whose solution Herbart is primarily concerned. For
example, consider matter. Though capable of filling space, if reduced to its ultimate state it consists of
incomprehensibly minute units of divine energy occupying no physical space whatsoever.

The true subject of Arthur Schopenhauer's philosophy is the will; the object of his philosophy is the
elevation of the mind to the point where it is capable of controlling the will. Schopenhauer likens the
will to a strong blind man who carries on his shoulders the intellect, which is a weak lame man
possessing the power of sight. The will is the tireless cause of manifestation and every part of Nature
the product of will. The brain is the product of the will to know; the hand the product of the will to
grasp. The entire intellectual and emotional constitutions of man are subservient to the will and are
largely concerned with the effort to justify the dictates of the will. Thus the mind creates elaborate
systems of thought simply to prove the necessity of the thing willed. Genius, however, represents the
state wherein the intellect has gained supremacy over the will and the life is ruled by reason and not
by impulse. The strength of Christianity, said Schopenhauer, lay in its pessimism and conquest of
individual will. His own religious viewpoints resembled closely the Buddhistic. To him Nirvana
represented the subjugation of will. Life—the manifestation of the blind will to live—he viewed as a
misfortune, claiming that the true philosopher was one who, recognizing the wisdom of death,
resisted the inherent urge to reproduce his kind.

THE TREE OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY.

From Hort's The New Pantheon.

Before a proper appreciation of the deeper scientific aspects of Greek mythology is possible, it is necessary to organize the
Greek pantheon and arrange its gods, goddesses, and various superhuman hierarchies in concatenated order. Proclus, the
great Neo-Platonist, in his commentaries on the theology of Plato, gives an invaluable key to the sequence of the various
deities in relation to the First Cause and the inferior powers emanating from themselves. When thus arranged, the divine
hierarchies may be likened to the branches of a great tree. The roots of this tree are firmly imbedded in Unknowable Being.
The trunk and larger branches of the tree symbolize the superior gods; the twigs and leaves, the innumerable existences
dependent upon the first and unchanging Power.

p. 19

Of Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche it has been said that his peculiar contribution to the cause of human
hope was the glad tidings that God had died of pity! The outstanding features of Nietzsche's
philosophy are his doctrine of eternal recurrence and the extreme emphasis placed by him upon the
will to power— SL projection of Schopenhauer's will to live. Nietzsche believed the purpose of existence
to be the production of a type of all-powerful individual, designated by him the superman. This
superman was the product of careful culturing, for if not separated forcibly from the mass and
consecrated to the production of power, the individual would sink back to the level of the deadly
mediocre. Love, Nietzsche said, should be sacrificed to the production of the superman and those only

should marry who are best fitted to produce this outstanding type. Nietzsche also believed in the rule

of the aristocracy, both blood and breeding being essential to the establishment of this superior type.
Nietzsche's doctrine did not liberate the masses; it rather placed over them supermen for whom their
inferior brothers and sisters should be perfectly reconciled to die. Ethically and politically, the
superman was a law unto himself. To those who understand the true meaning of power to be virtue,
self-control, and truth, the ideality behind Nietzsche's theory is apparent. To the superficial, however,
it is a philosophy heartless and calculating, concerned solely with the survival of the fittest.

Of the other German schools of philosophic thought, limitations of space preclude detailed mention.
The more recent developments of the German school are Freudianism and Relativism (often called
the Einstein theory). The former is a system of psychoanalysis through psychopathic and neurological
phenomena; the latter attacks the accuracy of mechanical principles dependent upon the present
theory of velocity.

Rene Descartes stands at the head of the French school of philosophy and shares with Sir Francis
Bacon the honor of founding the systems of modern science and philosophy. As Bacon based his
conclusions upon observation of external things, so Descartes founded his metaphysical philosophy
upon observation of internal things. Cartesianism (the philosophy of Descartes) first eliminates all
things and then replaces as fundamental those premises without which existence is impossible.
Descartes defined an idea as that which fills the mind when we conceive a thing. The truth of an idea
must be determined by the criteria of clarity and distinctness. Hence Descartes, held that a clear and
distinct idea must be true. Descartes has the distinction also of evolving his own philosophy without
recourse to authority. Consequently his conclusions are built up from the simplest of premises and
grow in complexity as the structure of his philosophy takes form.

The Positive philosophy of Auguste Comte is based upon the theory that the human intellect develops

through three stages of thought. The first and lowest stage is theological; the second, metaphysical;
and the third and highest, positive. Thus theology and metaphysics are the feeble intellectual efforts
of humanity's child-mind and positivism is the mental expression of the adult intellect. In his Cours
de Philosophie positive, Comte writes:

"In the final, the positive state, the mind has given over the vain search after Absolute notions, the
origin and destination of the universe, and the causes of phenomena, and applies itself to the study of
their laws,~that is, their invariable relations of succession and resemblance. Reasoning and
observation, duly combined, are the means of this knowledge." Comte's theory is described as an
"enormous system of materialism." According to Comte, it was formerly said that the heavens declare
the glory of God, but now they only recount the glory of Newton and Laplace.

Among the French schools of philosophy are Traditionalism (often applied to Christianity), which
esteems tradition as the proper foundation for philosophy; the Sociological school, which regards
humanity as one vast social organism; the Encyclopedists, whose efforts to classify knowledge
according to the Baconian system revolutionized European thought; Voltairism, which assailed the
divine origin of the Christian faith and adopted an attitude of extreme skepticism toward all matters
pertaining to theology; and Neo-Criticism, a French revision of the doctrines of Immanuel Kant.

Henri Bergson, the intuitionalist, undoubtedly the greatest living French philosopher, presents a
theory of mystic anti-intellectualism founded upon the premise of creative evolution. His rapid rise to
popularity is due to his appeal to the finer sentiments in human nature, which rebel against the
hopelessness and helplessness of materialistic science and realistic philosophy. Bergson sees God as
life continually struggling against the limitations of matter. He even conceives the possible victory of
life over matter, and in time the annihilation of death.

Applying the Baconian method to the mind, John Locke, the great EngHsh philosopher, declared that

everything which passes through the mind is a legitimate object of mental philosophy, and that these
mental phenomena are as real and valid as the objects of any other science. In his investigations of
the origin of phenomena Locke departed from the Baconian requirement that it was first necessary to
make a natural history of facts. The mind was regarded by Locke to be blank until experience is
inscribed upon it. Thus the mind is built up of received impressions plus reflection. The soul Locke
believed to be incapable of apprehension of Deity, and man's realization or cognition of God to be
merely an inference of the reasoning faculty. David Hume was the most enthusiastic and also the
most powerful of the disciples of Locke.

Attacking Locke's sensationalism, Bishop George Berkeley substituted for it a philosophy founded on
Locke's fundamental premises but which he developed as a system of idealism. Berkeley held that
ideas are the real objects of knowledge. He declared it impossible to adduce proof that sensations are
occasioned by material objects; he also attempted to prove that matter has no existence.
Berkeleianism holds that the universe is permeated and governed by mind. Thus the belief in the
existence of material objects is merely a mental condition, and the objects themselves may well be
fabrications of the mind. At the same time Berkeley considered it worse than insanity to question the
accuraq?^ of the perceptions; for if the power of the perceptive faculties be questioned man is reduced
to a creature incapable of knowing, estimating, or realizing anything whatsoever.

In the Associationalism of Hartley and Hume was advanced the theory that the association of ideas is
the fundamental principle of psychology and the explanation for all mental phenomena. Hartley held
that if a sensation be repeated several times there is a tendency towards its spontaneous repetition,
which may be awakened by association with some other idea even though the object causing the
original reaction be absent. The Utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham, Archdeacon Paley, and James
and John Stuart Mill declares that to be the greatest good which is the most useful to the greatest
number. John Stuart Mill believed that if it is possible through sensation to secure knowledge of the
properties of things, it is also possible through a higher state of the mind—that is, intuition or reason-
-to gain a knowledge of the true substance of things.

Darwinism is the doctrine of natural selection and physical evolution. It has been said of Charles
Robert Darwin that he determined to banish spirit altogether from the universe and make the infinite
and omnipresent Mind itself synonymous with the all-pervading powers of an impersonal Nature.
Agnosticism and Neo-Hegelianism are also noteworthy products of this period of philosophic
thought. The former is the belief that the nature of ultimates is unknowable; the latter an English and
American revival of Hegel's idealism.

Dr. W. J. Durant declares that Herbert Spencer's Great Work, First Principles, made him almost at
once the most famous philosopher of his time. Spencerianism is a philosophic positivism which
describes evolution as an ever-increasing complexity with equilibrium as its highest possible state.
According to Spencer, life is a continuous process from homogeneity to heterogeneity and back from
heterogeneity to homogeneity. Life also involves the continual adjustment of internal relations to
external relations. Most famous of all Spencer's aphorisms is his definition of Deity: "God is infinite
intelligence, infinitely diversified through infinite time and infinite space, manifesting through an
infinitude of ever-evolving individualities." The universality of the law of evolution was emphasized
by Spencer, who applied it not only to the form but also to the intelligence behind the form. In every
manifestation of being he recognized the fundamental tendency of unfoldment from simplicity to
complexity, observing that when the point of equilibrium is reached it is

A CHRISTIAN TRINITY.

From Hone's Ancient Mystenes Described.

In an effort to set forth in an appropriate figure the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, it was necessary to devise an image in
which the three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost— were separate and yet one. In different parts of Europe may be
seen figures similar to the above, wherein three faces are united in one head. This is a legitimate method of for to those
able to realize the sacred significance of the threefold head a great mystery is revealed. However, in the presence of such
applications of symbology in Christian art, it is scarcely proper to consider the philosophers of other faiths as benighted if,
like the Hindus, they have a three-faced Brahma, or, like the Romans, a two-faced Janus.

p. 20

always followed by the process of dissolution. According to Spencer, however, disintegration took
place only that reintegration might follow upon a higher level of being.

The chief position in the Italian school of philosophy should be awarded to Giordano Bruno, who,
after enthusiastically accepting Copernicus' theory that the sun is the center of the solar system,
declared the sun to be a star and all the stars to be suns. In Bruno's time the earth was regarded as the
center of all creation. Consequently when he thus relegated the world and man to an obscure corner
in space the effect was cataclysmic. For the heresy of affirming a multiplicity of universes and
conceiving Cosmos to be so vast that no single creed could fill it, Bruno paid the forfeit of his life.

Vicoism is a philosophy based upon the conclusions of Giovanni Battista Vico, who held that God
controls His world not miraculously but through natural law. The laws by which men rule themselves,
Vico declared, issue from a spiritual source within mankind which is en rapport with the law of the
Deity. Hence material law is of divine origin and reflects the dictates of the Spiritual Father. The
philosophy of Ontologism developed by Vincenzo Gioberti (generally considered more as a theologian
than a philosopher) posits God as the only being and the origin of all knowledge, knowledge being
identical with Deity itself. God is consequently called Being; all other manifestations are existences.
Truth is to be discovered through reflection upon this mystery.

The most important of modern Italian philosophers is Benedetto Croce, a Hegelian idealist. Croce
conceives ideas to be the only reality. He is anti-theological in his viewpoints, does not believe in the
immortality of the soul, and seeks to substitute ethics and aesthetics for religion. Among other
branches of Italian philosophy should be mentioned Sensism (Sensationalism), which posits the
sense perceptions as the sole channels for the reception of knowledge; Criticism, or the philosophy of
accurate judgment; and Neo-Scholasticism, which is a revival of Thomism encouraged by the Roman
Catholic Church.

The two outstanding schools of American philosophy are Transcendentalism and Pragmatism.
Transcendentalism, exemplified in the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, emphasizes the power of
the transcendental over the physical. Many of Emerson's writings show pronounced Oriental
influence, particularly his essays on the Oversoul and the Law of Compensation. The theory of
Pragmatism, while not original with Professor William James, owes its widespread popularity as a
philosophic tenet to his efforts. Pragmatism may be defined as the doctrine that the meaning and
nature of things are to be discovered from consideration of their consequences. The true, according to
James, "is only an expedient in the way of our thinking, just as 'the right' is only an expedient in the
way of our behaving." (See his Pragmatism.) John Dewey, the Instrumentalist, who applies the
experimental attitude to all the aims of life, should be considered a commentator of James. To Dewey,
growth and change are limitless and no ultimates are postulated. The long residence in America of
George Santayana warrants the listing of this great Spaniard among the ranks of American
philosophers. Defending himself with the shield of skepticism alike from the illusions of the senses
and the cumulative errors of the ages, Santayana seeks to lead mankind into a more apprehending
state denominated by him the life of reason.

(In addition to the authorities already quoted, in the preparation of the foregoing abstract of the main
branches of philosophic thought the present writer has had recourse to Stanley's History of
Philosophy; Morell's An Historical and Critical View of the Speculative Philosophy of Europe in the
Nineteenth Century; Singer's Modern Thinkers and Present Problems; Rand's Modern Classical
Philosophers; Windelband's History of Philosophy; Perry's Present Philosophical Tendencies;
Hamilton's Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic; and Durant's The Story of Philosophy.)

Having thus traced the more or less sequential development of philosophic speculation from Thales
to James and Bergson, it is now in order to direct the reader's attention to the elements leading to and
the circumstances attendant upon the genesis of philosophic thinking. Although the Hellenes proved
themselves peculiarly responsive to the disciplines of philosophy, this science of sciences should not
be considered indigenous to them. "Although some of the Grecians," writes Thomas Stanley, "have
challenged to their nation the original of philosophy, yet the more learned of them have
acknowledged it [to be] derived from the East." The magnificent institutions of Hindu, Chaldean, and
Egyptian learning must be recognized as the actual source of Greek wisdom. The last was patterned
after the shadow cast by the sanctuaries of EUora, Ur, and Memphis upon the thought substance of a
primitive people. Thales, Pythagoras, and Plato in their philosophic wanderings contacted many
distant cults and brought back the lore of Egypt and the inscrutable Orient.

From indisputable facts such as these it is evident that philosophy emerged from the religious
Mysteries of antiquity, not being separated from religion until after the decay of the Mysteries. Hence
he who would fathom the depths of philosophic thought must familiarize himself with the teachings
of those initiated priests designated as the first custodians of divine revelation. The Mysteries claimed
to be the guardians of a transcendental knowledge so profound as to be incomprehensible save to the
most exalted intellect and so potent as to be revealed with safety only to those in whom personal
ambition was dead and who had consecrated their lives to the unselfish service of humanity. Both the
dignity of these sacred institutions and the validity of their claim to possession of Universal Wisdom
are attested by the most illustrious philosophers of antiquity, who were themselves initiated into the
profundities of the secret doctrine and who bore witness to its efficacy.

The question may legitimately be propounded: If these ancient mystical institutions were of such
"great pith and moment," why is so little information now available concerning them and the arcana
they claimed to possess? The answer is simple enough: The Mysteries were secret societies, binding
their initiates to inviolable secrecy, and avenging with death the betrayal of their sacred trusts.
Although these schools were the true inspiration of the various doctrines promulgated by the ancient
philosophers, the fountainhead of those doctrines was never revealed to the profane. Furthermore, in
the lapse of time the teachings became so inextricably linked with the names of their disseminators
that the actual but recondite source—the Mysteries—came to be wholly ignored.

Symbolism is the language of the Mysteries; in fact it is the language not only of mysticism and
philosophy but of all Nature, for every law and power active in universal procedure is manifested to
the limited sense perceptions of man through the medium of symbol. Every form existing in the
diversified sphere of being is symbolic of the divine activity by which it is produced. By symbols men
have ever sought to communicate to each other those thoughts which transcend the limitations of
language. Rejecting man-conceived dialects as inadequate and unworthy to perpetuate divine ideas,
the Mysteries thus chose symbolism as a far more ingenious and ideal method of preserving their
transcendental knowledge. In a single figure a symbol may both reveal and conceal, for to the wise the
subject of the symbol is obvious, while to the ignorant the figure remains inscrutable. Hence, he who
seeks to unveil the secret doctrine of antiquity must search for that doctrine not upon the open pages
of books which might fall into the hands of the unworthy but in the place where it was originally
concealed.

Far-sighted were the initiates of antiquity. They realized that nations come and go, that empires rise
and fall, and that the golden ages of art, science, and idealism are succeeded by the dark ages of
superstition. With the needs of posterity foremost in mind, the sages of old went to inconceivable
extremes to make certain that their knowledge should be preserved. They engraved it upon the face of
mountains and concealed it within the measurements of colossal images, each of which was a
geometric marvel. Their knowledge of chemistry and mathematics they hid within mythologies which
the ignorant would perpetuate, or in the spans and arches of their temples which time has not entirely
obliterated. They wrote in characters that neither the vandalism of men nor the ruthlessness of the
elements could completely efface. Today men gaze with awe and reverence upon the mighty
Memnons standing alone on the sands of Egypt, or upon the strange terraced pyramids of Palanque.
Mute testimonies these are of the lost arts and sciences of antiquity; and concealed this wisdom must
remain until this race has learned to read the universal language— SYMBOLISM.

The book to which this is the introduction is dedicated to the proposition that concealed within the
emblematic figures, allegories, and rituals of the ancients is a secret doctrine concerning the inner
mysteries of life, which doctrine has been preserved in toto among a small band of initiated minds
since the beginning of the world. Departing, these illumined philosophers left their formula that
others, too, might attain to understanding. But, lest these secret processes fall into uncultured hands
and be perverted, the Great Arcanum was always concealed in symbol or allegory; and those who can
today discover its lost keys may open with them a treasure house of philosophic, scientific, and
religious truths.

THE ORPHIC EGG.

From Bryant's An Analysis of Ancient Mythology.

The ancient symbol of the Orphic Mysteries was the serpent-entwined egg, which signified Cosmos as encircled by the
fiery Creative Spirit. The egg also represents the soul of the philosopher; the serpent, the Mysteries. At the time of
initiation the shell is broke, and man emerges from the embryonic state of physical existence wherein he had remained
through the fetal period of philosophic regeneration.

The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies

Which Have Influenced Modem Masonic Symbolism

p. 21

WHEN confronted with a problem involving the use of the reasoning faculties, individuals of strong
intellect keep their poise, and seek to reach a solution by obtaining facts bearing upon the question.
Those of immature mentality, on the other hand, when similarly confronted, are overwhelmed. While
the former may be qualified to solve the riddle of their own destiny, the latter must be led like a flock
of sheep and taught in simple language. They depend almost entirely upon the ministrations of the
shepherd. The Apostle Paul said that these little ones must be fed with milk, but that meat is the food
of strong men. ThoughtZessness is almost synonymous with childishness, while thought/iz/ness is
symbolic of maturity.

There are, however, but few mature minds in the world; and thus it was that the philosophic-religious

doctrines of the pagans were divided to meet the needs of these two fundamental groups of human
intellect—one philosophic, the other incapable of appreciating the deeper mysteries of life. To the
discerning few were revealed the esoteric, or spiritual, teachings, while the unqualified many received
only the literal, or exoteric, interpretations. In order to make simple the great truths of Nature and
the abstract principles of natural law, the vital forces of the universe were personified, becoming the
gods and goddesses of the ancient mythologies. While the ignorant multitudes brought their offerings
to the altars of Priapus and Pan (deities representing the procreative energies), the wise recognized in
these marble statues only symbolic concretions of great abstract truths.

In all cities of the ancient world were temples for public worship and offering. In every community
also were philosophers and mystics, deeply versed in Nature's lore. These individuals were usually
banded together, forming seclusive philosophic and religious schools. The more important of these
groups were known as the Mysteries. Many of the great minds of antiquity were initiated into these
secret fraternities by strange and mysterious rites, some of which were extremely cruel. Alexander
Wilder defines the Mysteries as "Sacred dramas performed at stated periods. The most celebrated
were those of Isis, Sabazius, Cybele, and Eleusis." After being admitted, the initiates were instructed
in the secret wisdom which had been preserved for ages. Plato, an initiate of one of these sacred
orders, was severely criticized because in his writings he revealed to the public many of the secret
philosophic principles of the Mysteries.

Every pagan nation had (and has) not only its state religion, but another into which the philosophic

elect alone have gained entrance. Many of these ancient cults vanished from the earth without
revealing their secrets, but a few have survived the test of ages and their mysterious symbols are still
preserved. Much of the ritualism of Freemasonry is based on the trials to which candidates were
subjected by the ancient hierophants before the keys of wisdom were entrusted to them.

Few realize the extent to which the ancient secret schools influenced contemporary intellects and,
through those minds, posterity. Robert Macoy, 33°, in his General History of Freemasonry, pays a
magnificent tribute to the part played by the ancient Mysteries in the rearing of the edifice of human
culture. He says, in part: "It appears that all the perfection of civilization, and all the advancement
made in philosophy, science, and art among the ancients are due to those institutions which, under
the veil of mystery, sought to illustrate the sublimest truths of religion, morality, and virtue, and
impress them on the hearts of their disciples.* * * Their chief object was to teach the doctrine of one
God, the resurrection of man to eternal life, the dignity of the human soul, and to lead the people to
see the shadow of the deity, in the beauty, magnificence, and splendor of the universe."

With the dedine of virtue, which has preceded the destruction of every nation of history, the
Mysteries became perverted. Sorcery took the place of the divine magic. Indescribable practices (such
as the Bacchanalia) were introduced, and perversion ruled supreme; for no institution can be any
better than the members of which it is composed. In despair, the few who were true sought to
preserve the secret doctrines from oblivion. In some cases they succeeded, but more often the
arcanum was lost and only the empty shell of the Mysteries remained.

Thomas Taylor has written, "Man is naturally a religious animal." From the earliest dawning of his
consciousness, man has worshiped and revered things as symbolic of the invisible, omnipresent,
indescribable Thing, concerning which he could discover practically nothing. The pagan Mysteries
opposed the Christians during the early centuries of their church, declaring that the new faith
(Christianity) did not demand virtue and integrity as requisites for salvation. Celsus expressed
himself on the subject in the following caustic terms:

"That I do not, however, accuse the Christians more bitterly than truth compels, may be conjectured
from hence, that the cryers who call men to other mysteries proclaim as follows: 'Let him approach
whose hands are pure, and whose words are wise.' And again, others proclaim: 'Let him approach
who is pure from all wickedness, whose soul is not conscious of any evil, and who leads a just and
upright life.' And these things are proclaimed by those who promise a purification from error. Let us
now hear who those are that are called to the Christian mysteries: Whoever is a sinner, whoever is
unwise, whoever is a fool, and whoever, in short, is miserable, him the kingdom of God will receive.
Do you not, therefore, call a sinner, an unjust man, a thief, a housebreaker, a wizard, one who is
sacrilegious, and a robber of sepulchres? What other persons would the cryer nominate, who should
call robbers together?"

It was not the true faith of the early Christian mystics that Celsus attacked, but the false forms that
were creeping in even during his day. The ideals of early Christianity were based upon the high moral
standards of the pagan Mysteries, and the first Christians who met under the city of Rome used as
their places of worship the subterranean temples of Mithras, from whose cult has been borrowed
much of the sacerdotalism of the modem church.

The ancient philosophers believed that no man could live intelligently who did not have a
fundamental knowledge of Nature and her laws. Before man can obey, he must understand, and the
Mysteries were devoted to instructing man concerning the operation of divine law in the terrestrial
sphere. Few of the early cults actually worshiped anthropomorphic deities, although their symbolism
might lead one to believe they did. They were moralistic rather than religionistic; philosophic rather
than theologic. They taught man to use his faculties more intelligently, to be patient in the face of
adversity, to be courageous when confronted by danger, to be true in the midst of temptation, and,
most of all, to view a worthy life as the most acceptable sacrifice to God, and his body as an altar
sacred to the Deity.

Sun worship played an important part in nearly all the early pagan Mysteries. This indicates the
probability of their Atlantean origin, for the people of Atlantis were sun worshipers. The Solar Deity
was usually personified as a beautiful youth, with long golden hair to symbolize the rays of the sun.
This golden Sun God was slain by wicked ruffians, who personified the evil principle of the universe.
By means of certain rituals and ceremonies, symbolic of purification and regeneration, this wonderful
God of Good was brought back to life and became the Savior of His people. The secret processes
whereby He was resurrected symbolized those cultures by means of which man is able to overcome
his lower nature, master his appetites, and give expression to the higher side of himself. The
Mysteries were organized for the purpose of assisting the struggling human creature to reawaken the
spiritual powers which, surrounded by the flaming

A FEMALE HIEROPHANT OF THE MYSTERIES.

From Montfaucon's Antiquities.

This illustration shows Cybele, here called the Syrian Goddess, in the robes of a hierophant. Montfaucon describes the
figure as follows: "Upon her head is an episcopal mitre, adorned on the lower part with towers and pinnacles; over the
gate of the city is a crescent, and beneath the circuit of the walls a crown of rays. The Goddess wears a sort of surplice,
exactly like the surplice of a priest or bishop; and upon the surplice a tunic, which falls down to the legs; and over all an
episcopal cope, with the twelve signs of the Zodiac wrought on the borders. The figure hath a lion on each side, and holds
in its left hand a Tympanum, a Sistrum, a Distaff, a Caduceus, and another instrument. In her right hand she holds with
her middle finger a thunderbolt, and upon the same am animals, insects, and, as far as we may guess, flowers, fruit, a bow,
a quiver, a torch, and a sc5^he." The whereabouts of the statue is unknown, the copy reproduced by Montfaucon being
from drawings by Pirro Ligorio.

p. 22

ring of lust and degeneraq'^, lay asleep within his soul. In other words, man was offered a way by
which he could regain his lost estate. (See Wagner's Siegfried.)

In the ancient world, nearly all the secret societies were philosophic and religious. During the
mediaeval centuries, they were chiefly religious and political, although a few philosophic schools
remained. In modern times, secret societies, in the Occidental countries, are largely political or
fraternal, although in a few of them, as in Masonry, the ancient religious and philosophic principles
still survive.

Space prohibits a detailed discussion of the secret schools. There were literally scores of these ancient
cults, with branches in all parts of the Eastern and Western worlds. Some, such as those of Pythagoras
and the Hermetists, show a decided Oriental influence, while the Rosicrucians, according to their own
proclamations, gained much of their wisdom from Arabian mystics. Although the Mystery schools are
usually associated with civilization, there is evidence that the most uncivilized peoples of prehistoric
times had a knowledge of them. Natives of distant islands, many in the lowest forms of savagery, have
mystic rituals and secret practices which, although primitive, are of a decided Masonic tinge.

THE DRUIDIC MYSTERIES OF BRITAIN AND GAUL

"The original and primitive inhabitants of Britain, at some remote period, revived and reformed their
national institutes. Their priest, or instructor, had hitherto been simply named Gwydd, but it was
considered to have become necessary to divide this office between the national, or superior, priest
and another whose influence [would] be more limited. From henceforth the former became Der-
Wydd (Druid), or superior instructor, and [the latter] Go-Wydd, or 0-Vydd (Ovate), subordinate
instructor; and both went by the general name of Beirdd (Bards), or teachers of wisdom. As the
system matured and augmented, the Bardic Order consisted of three classes, the Druids, Beirdd
Braint, or privileged Bards, and Ovates." (See Samuel Meyrick and Charles Smith, The Costume of
The Original Inhabitants of The British Islands.)

The origin of the word Druid is under dispute. Max Miiller believes that, like the Irish word Drui, it
means "the men of the oak trees." He further draws attention to the fact that the forest gods and tree
deities of the Greeks were called dryades. Some believe the word to be of Teutonic origin; others
ascribe it to the Welsh. A few trace it to the Gaelic druidh, which means "a wise man" or "a sorcerer."
In Sanskrit the word dm means "timber."

At the time of the Roman conquest, the Druids were thoroughly ensconced in Britain and Gaul. Their
power over the people was unquestioned, and there were instances in which armies, about to attack
each other, sheathed their swords when ordered to do so by the white-robed Druids. No undertaking
of great importance was scatted without the assistance of these patriarchs, who stood as mediators
between the gods and men. The Druidic Order is deservedly credited with having had a deep
understanding of Nature and her laws. The Encyclopaedia Britannica states that geography, physical
science, natural theology, and astrology were their favorite studies. The Druids had a fundamental
knowledge of medicine, especially the use of herbs and simples. Crude surgical instruments also have
been found in England and Ireland. An odd treatise on early British medicine states that every
practitioner was expected to have a garden or back yard for the growing of certain herbs necessary to
his profession. Eliphas Levi, the celebrated transcendentalist, makes the following significant
statement:

"The Druids were priests and physicians, curing by magnetism and charging amylets with their fluidic
influence. Their universal remedies were mistletoe and serpents' eggs, because these substances
attract the astral light in a special manner. The solemnity with which mistletoe was cut down drew
upon this plant the popular confidence and rendered it powerfully magnetic. * * * The progress of
magnetism will some day reveal to us the absorbing properties of mistletoe. We shall then understand
the secret of those spongy growths which drew the unused virtues of plants and become surcharged
with tinctures and savors. Mushrooms, truffles, gall on trees, and the different kinds of mistletoe will
be employed with understanding by a medical science, which will be new because it is old * * * but
one must not move quicker than science, which recedes that it may advance the further. " (See The
History of Magic.)

Not only was the mistletoe sacred as symbolic of the universal medicine, or panacea, but also because
of the fact that it grew upon the oak tree. Through the symbol of the oak, the Druids worshiped the
Supreme Deity; therefore, anything growing upon that tree was sacred to Him. At certain seasons,
according to the positions of the sun, moon, and stars, the Arch-Druid climbed the oak tree and cut
the mistletoe with a golden sickle consecrated for that service. The parasitic growth was caught in
white cloths provided for the purpose, lest it touch the earth and be polluted by terrestrial vibrations.
Usually a sacrifice of a white bull was made under the tree.

The Druids were initiates of a secret school that existed in their midst. This school, which closely
resembled the Bacchic and Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece or the Egyptian rites of Isis and Osiris, is
justly designated the Druidic Mysteries. There has been much speculation concerning the secret

wisdom that the Druids claimed to possess. Their secret teachings were never written, but were
communicated orally to specially prepared candidates. Robert Brown, 32°, is of the opinion that the
British priests secured their information from Tyrian and Phoenician navigators who, thousands of
years before the Christian Era, established colonies in Britain and Gaul while searching for tin.
Thomas Maurice, in his Indian Antiquities, discourses at length on Phcenician, Carthaginian, and
Greek expeditions to the British Isles for the purpose of procuring tin. Others are of the opinion that
the Mysteries as celebrated by the Druids were of Oriental origin, possibly Buddhistic.

The proximity of the British Isles to the lost Atlantis may account for the sun worship which plays an
important part in the rituals of Druidism. According to Artemidorus, Ceres and Persephone were
worshiped on an island close to Britain with rites and ceremonies similar to those of Samothrace.
There is no doubt that the Druidic Pantheon includes a large number of Greek and Roman deities.
This greatly amazed Caesar during his conquest of Britain and Gaul, and caused him to affirm that
these tribes adored Mercury, Apollo, Mars, and Jupiter, in a manner similar to that of the Latin
countries. It is almost certain that the Druidic Mysteries were not indigenous to Britain or Gaul, but
migrated from one of the more ancient civilizations.

The school of the Druids was divided into three distinct parts, and the secret teachings embodied
therein are practically the same as the mysteries concealed under the allegories of Blue Lodge
Masonry. The lowest of the three divisions was that of Ovate (Ovydd). This was an honorary degree,
requiring no special purification or preparation. The Ovates dressed in green, the Druidic color of
learning, and were expected to know something about medicine, astronomy, poetry if possible, and
sometimes music. An Ovate was an individual admitted to the Druidic Order because of his general
excellence and superior knowledge concerning the problems of life.

The second division was that of Bard (Beirdd). Its members were robed in sky-blue, to represent
harmony and truth, and to them was assigned the labor of memorizing, at least in part, the twenty
thousand verses of Druidic sacred poetry. They were often pictured with the primitive British or Irish
harp~an instrument strung with human hair, and having as many strings as there were ribs on one
side of the human body. These Bards were often chosen as teachers of candidates seeking entrance
into the Druidic Mysteries. Neophytes wore striped robes of blue, green, and white, these being the
three sacred colors of the Druidic Order.

The third division was that of Druid (Derwyddon). Its particular labor was to minister to the religious
needs of the people. To reach this dignity, the candidate must first become a Bard Braint. The Druids
always dressed in white—symbolic of their purity, and the color used by them to symbolize the sun.

In order to reach the exalted position of Arch-Druid, or spiritual head of the organization, it was
necessary for a priest to pass through the six successive degrees of the Druidic Order. (The members
of the different degrees were differentiated by the colors of their sashes, for all of them wore robes of
white.) Some writers are of the opinion that the title oi Arch-Druid was hereditary, descending from
father to son, but it is more probable that the honor was conferred by ballot election. Its recipient was
chosen for his virtues and

THE ARCH-DRUID IN HIS CEREMONIAL ROBES.

From Wellcome's Ancient Cymric Medicine.

The most striking adornment of the Arch- Druid was the iodhan moron, or breastplate of judgment, which possessed the
mysterious Power of strangling any who made an untrue statement while wearing it. Godfrey Higgins states that this
breastplate was put on the necks of witnesses to test the veracity of their evidence. The Druidic tiara, or anguinum, its
front embossed with a number of points to represent the sun's rays, indicated that the priest was a personification of the
rising sun. On the front of his belt the Arch-Druid wore the liath meisicith--a magic brooch, or buckle in the center of
which was a large white stone. To this was attributed the power of drawing the fire of the gods down from heaven at the
priest's command This specially cut stone was a burning glass, by which the sun's rays were concentrated to light the altar
fires. The Druids also had other symbolic implements, such as the peculiarly shaped golden sickle with which they cut the
mistletoe from the oak, and the coman, or scepter, in the form of a crescent, symbolic of the sixth day of the increasing
moon and also of the Ark of Noah. An early initiate of the Druidic Mysteries related that admission to their midnight
ceremony was gained by means of a glass boat, called Cwrwg Gwydrin. This boat symbolized the moon, which, floating
upon the waters of eternity, preserved the seeds of living creatures within its boatlike crescent.

p- 23

integrity from the most learned members of the higher Druidic degrees.

According to James Gardner, there were usually two Arch-Druids in Britain, one residing on the Isle
of Anglesea and the other on the Isle of Man. Presumably there were others in Gaul. These dignitaries
generally carried golden scepters and were crowned with wreaths of oak leaves, symbolic of their
authority. The younger members of the Druidic Order were clean-shaven and modestly dressed, but
the more aged had long gray beards and wore magnificent golden ornaments. The educational system
of the Druids in Britain was superior to that of their colleagues on the Continent, and consequently
many of the Gallic youths were sent to the Druidic colleges in Britain for their philosophical
instruction and training.

Eliphas Levi states that the Druids lived in strict abstinence, studied the natural sciences, preserved
the deepest secrecy, and admitted new members only after long probationary periods. Many of the
priests of the order lived in buildings not unlike the monasteries of the modern world. They were
associated in groups like ascetics of the Far East. Although celibacy was not demanded of them, few
married. Many of the Druids retired from the world and lived as recluses in caves, in rough-stone

houses, or in little shacks built in the depths of a forest. Here they prayed and medicated, emerging
only to perform their religious duties.

James Freeman Clarke, in his Ten Great Religions, describes the beliefs of the Druids as follows: "The
Druids believed in three worlds and in transmigration from one to the other: In a world above this, in
which happiness predominated; a world below, of misery; and this present state. This transmigration
was to punish and reward and also to purify the soul. In the present world, said they, Good and Evil
are so exactly balanced that man has the utmost freedom and is able to choose or reject either. The
Welsh Triads tell us there are three objects of metempsychosis: to collect into the soul the properties
of all being, to acquire a knowledge of all things, and to get power to conquer evil. There are also, they
say, three kinds of knowledge: knowledge of the nature of each thing, of its cause, and its influence.
There are three things which continually grow less: darkness, falsehood, and death. There are three
which constantly increase: light, life, and truth."

Like nearly all schools of the Mysteries, the teachings of the Druids were divided into two distinct
sections. The simpler, a moral code, was taught to all the people, while the deeper, esoteric doctrine
was given only to initiated priests. To be admitted to the order, a candidate was required to be of good
family and of high moral character. No important secrets were intrusted to him until he had been
tempted in many ways and his strength of character severely tried. The Druids taught the people of
Britain and Gaul concerning the immortality of the soul. They believed in transmigration and
apparently in reincarnation. They borrowed in one life, promising to pay back in the next. They
believed in a purgatorial type of hell where they would be purged of their sins, afterward passing on to
the happiness of unity with the gods. The Druids taught that all men would be saved, but that some
must return to earth many times to learn the lessons of human life and to overcome the inherent evil
of their own natures.

Before a candidate was intrusted with the secret doctrines of the Druids, he was bound with a vow of
secrecy. These doctrines were imparted only in the depths of forests and in the darkness of caves. In
these places, far from the haunts of men, the neophyte was instructed concerning the creation of the
universe, the personalities of the gods, the laws of Nature, the secrets of occult medicine, the
mysteries of the celestial bodies, and the rudiments of magic and sorcery. The Druids had a great
number of feast days. The new and full moon and the sixth day of the moon were sacred periods. It is
believed that initiations took place only at the two solstices and the two equinoxes. At dawn of the
25th day of December, the birth of the Sun God was celebrated.

The secret teachings of the Druids are said by some to be tinctured with Pythagorean philosophy. The
Druids had a Madonna, or Virgin Mother, with a Child in her arms, who was sacred to their Mysteries;
and their Sun God was resurrected at the time of the year corresponding to that at which modern
Christians celebrate Easter.

Both the cross and the serpent were sacred to the Druids, who made the former by cutting off all the
branches of an oak tree and fastening one of them to the main trunk in the form of the letter T. This
oaken cross became symbolic of their superior Deity. They also worshiped the sun, moon, and stars.
The moon received their special veneration. Caesar stated that Mercury was one of the chief deities of
the Gauls. The Druids are believed to have worshiped Mercury under the similitude of a stone cube.
They also had great veneration for the Nature spirits (fairies, gnomes, and undines), little creatures of
the forests and rivers to whom many offerings were made. Describing the temples of the Druids,
Charles Heckethorn, in The Secret Societies of All Ages & Countries, says:

"Their temples wherein the sacred fire was preserved were generally situate on eminences and in
dense groves of oak, and assumed various forms—circular, because a circle was the emblem of the
universe; oval, in allusion to the mundane egg, from which issued, according to the traditions of many
nations, the universe, or, according to others, our first parents; serpentine, because a serpent was the

symbol of Hu, the Dniidic Osiris; cruciform, because a cross is an emblem of regeneration; or winged,
to represent the motion of the Divine Spirit. * * * Their chief deities were reducible to two~a male and
a female, the great father and mother~Hu and Ceridwen, distinguished by the same characteristics as
belong to Osiris and Isis, Bacchus and Ceres, or any other supreme god and goddess representing the
two principles of all Being."

Godfrey Higgins states that Hu, the Mighty, regarded as the first settler of Britain, came from a place
which the Welsh Triads call the Summer Country, the present site of Constantinople. Albert Pike says
that the Lost Word of Masonry is concealed in the name of the Druid god Hu. The meager
information extant concerning the secret initiations of the Druids indicates a decided similarity
between their Mystery school and the schools of Greece and Egypt. Hu, the Sun God, was murdered
and, after a number of strange ordeals and mystic rituals, was restored to life.

There were three degrees of the Druidic Mysteries, but few successfully passed them all. The
candidate was buried in a coffin, as symbolic of the death of the Sun God. The supreme test, however,
was being sent out to sea in an open boat. While undergoing this ordeal, many lost their lives. Taliesin,
an ancient scholar, who passed through the Mysteries, describes the initiation of the open boat in
Faber's Pagan Idolatry. The few who passed this third degree were said to have been "born again,"
and were instructed in the secret and hidden truths which the Druid priests had preserved from
antiquity. From these initiates were chosen many of the dignitaries of the British religious and
political world. (For further details, see Faber's Pagan Idolatry, Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma,
and Godfrey Higgins' Celtic Druids.)

THE RITES OF MITHRAS

When the Persian Mysteries immigrated into Southern Europe, they were quickly assimilated by the
Latin mind. The cult grew rapidly, especially among the Roman soldiery, and during the Roman wars
of conquest the teachings were carried by the legionaries to nearly all parts of Europe. So powerful
did the cult of Mithras become that at least one Roman Emperor was initiated into the order, which
met in caverns under the city of Rome. Concerning the spread of this Mystery school through
different parts of Europe, C. W. King, in his Gnostics and Their Remains, says:

"Mithraic bas-reliefs cut on the faces of rocks or on stone tablets still abound in the countries
formerly the western provinces of the Roman Empire; many exist in Germany, still more in France,
and in this island (Britain) they have often been discovered on the line of the Picts' Wall and the
noted one at Bath."

Alexander Wilder, in his Philosophy and Ethics of the Zoroasters, states that Mithras is the Zend title
for the sun, and he is supposed to dwell within that shining orb. Mithras has a male and a female
aspect, though not himself androgynous. As Mithras, he is the ford of the sun, powerful and radiant,
and most magnificent of the Yazatas (Izads, or Genii, of the sun). As Mithra, this deity represents the
feminine principle; the mundane universe is recognized as her symbol. She represents Nature as
receptive and terrestrial, and as fruitful only when bathed in the glory of the solar orb. The Mithraic
cult is a simplification of the more elaborate teachings of Zarathustra (Zoroaster), the Persian fire
magician.

THE GROUND PLAN OF STONEHENGE.

From Maurice's Indian Antiquities.

The Druid temples of places of religious worship were not patterned after those of other nations. Most of their ceremonies
were performed at night, either in thick groves of oak trees or around open-air altars built of great uncut stones. How
these masses of rock were moved ahs not been satisfactorily explained. The most famous of their altars, a great stone ring
of rocks, is Stonehenge, in Southwestern England. This structure, laid out on an astronomical basis, still stands, a wonder
of antiquity.

p. 24

According to the Persians, there coexisted in eternity two principles. The first of these, Ahura-Mazda,
or Ormuzd, was the Spirit of Good. From Ormuzd came forth a number of hierarchies of good and
beautiful spirits (angels and archangels). The second of these eternally existing principles was called
Ahriman. He was also a pure and beautiful spirit, but he later rebelled against Ormuzd, being jealous
of his power. This did not occur, however, until after Ormuzd had created light, for previously
Ahriman had not been conscious of the existence of Ormuzd. Because of his jealousy and rebellion,
Ahriman became the Spirit of Evil. From himself he individualized a host of destructive creatures to
injure Ormuzd.

When Ormuzd created the earth, Ahriman entered into its grosser elements. Whenever Ormuzd did a
good deed, Ahriman placed the principle of evil within it. At last when Ormuzd created the human
race, Ahriman became incarnate in the lower nature of man so that in each personality the Spirit of
Good and the Spirit of Evil struggle for control. For 3,000 years Ormuzd ruled the celestial worlds
with light and goodness. Then he created man. For another 3,000 years he ruled man with wisdom,
and integrity. Then the power of Ahriman began, and the struggle for the soul of man continues
through the next period of 3,000 years. During the fourth period of 3,000 years, the power of
Ahriman will be destroyed. Good will return to the world again, evil and death will be vanquished,
and at last the Spirit of Evil will bow humbly before the throne of Ormuzd. While Ormuzd and
Ahriman are struggling for control of the human soul and for supremacy in Nature, Mithras, God of
Intelligence, stands as mediator between the two. Many authors have noted the similarity between
mercury and Mithras. As the chemical mercury acts as a solvent (according to alchemists), so Mithras
seeks to harmonize the two celestial opposites.

There are many points of resemblance between Christianity and the cult of Mithras. One of the
reasons for this probably is that the Persian mystics invaded Italy during the first century after Christ

and the early history of both cults was closely interwoven. The Encyclopaedia Britannica makes the
following statement concerning the Mithraic and Christian Mysteries:

"The fraternal and democratic spirit of the first communities, and their humble origin; the
identification of the object of adoration with light and the sun; the legends of the shepherds with their
gifts and adoration, the flood, and the ark; the representation in art of the fiery chariot, the drawing of
water from the rock; the use of bell and candle, holy water and the communion; the sanctification of
Sunday and of the 25th of December; the insistence on moral conduct, the emphasis placed on
abstinence and self-control; the doctrine of heaven and hell, of primitive revelation, of the mediation
of the Logos emanating from the divine, the atoning sacrifice, the constant warfare between good and
evil and the final triumph of the former, the immortality of the soul, the last judgment, the
resurrection of the flesh and the fiery destruction of the universe— [these] are some of the
resemblances which, whether real or only apparent, enabled Mithraism to prolong its resistance to
Christianity,"

The rites of Mithras were performed in caves. Porphyry, in his Cave of the Nymphs, states that
Zarathustra (Zoroaster) was the first to consecrate a cave to the worship of God, because a cavern was
symbolic of the earth, or the lower world of darkness. John P. Lundy, in his Monumental Christianity,
describes the cave of Mithras as follows:

"But this cave was adorned with the signs of the zodiac. Cancer and Capricorn. The summer and
winter solstices were chiefly conspicuous, as the gates of souls descending into this life, or passing out
of it in their ascent to the Gods; Cancer being the gate of descent, and Capricorn of ascent. These are
the two avenues of the immortals passing up and down from earth to heaven, and from heaven to
earth."

The so-called chair of St. Peter, in Rome, was believed to have been used in one of the pagan
Mysteries, possibly that of Mithras, in whose subterranean grottoes the votaries of the Christian
Mysteries met in the early days of their faith. In Anacalypsis, Godfrey Higgins writes that in 1662,
while cleaning this sacred chair of Bar-Jonas, the Twelve Labors of Hercules were discovered upon it,
and that later the French discovered upon the same chair the Mohammedan confession of faith,
written in Arabic.

Initiation into the rites of Mithras, like initiation into many other ancient schools of philosophy,
apparently consisted of three important degrees. Preparation for these degrees consisted of self-
purification, the building up of the intellectual powers, and the control of the animal nature. In the
first degree the candidate was given a crown upon the point of a sword and instructed in the
mysteries of Mithras' hidden power. Probably he was taught that the golden crown represented his
own spiritual nature, which must be objectified and unfolded before he could truly glorify Mithras;
for Mithras was his own soul, standing as mediator between Ormuzd, his spirit, and Ahriman, his
animal nature. In the second degree he was given the armor of intelligence and purity and sent into
the darkness of subterranean pits to fight the beasts of lust, passion, and degeneracy. In the third
degree he was given a cape, upon which were drawn or woven the signs of the zodiac and other
astronomical symbols. After his initiations were over, he was hailed as one who had risen from the
dead, was instructed in the secret teachings of the Persian mystics, and became a full-fledged member
of the order. Candidates who successfully passed the Mithraic initiations were called Lions and were
marked upon their foreheads with the Egyptian cross. Mithras himself is often pictured with the head
of a lion and two pairs of wings. Throughout the entire ritual were repeated references to the birth of
Mithras as the Sun God, his sacrifice for man, his death that men might have eternal life, and lastly,
his resurrection and the saving of all humanity by his intercession before the throne of Ormuzd. (See
Heckethorn.)

While the cult of Mithras did not reach the philosophic heights attained by Zarathustra, its effect

upon the civilization of the Western world was far-reaching, for at one time nearly all Europe was
converted to its doctrines. Rome, in her intercourse with other nations, inoculated them with her
religious principles; and many later institutions have exhibited Mithraic culture. The reference to the
"Lion" and the "Grip of the Lion's Paw" in the Master Mason's degree have a strong Mithraic tinge
and may easily have originated from this cult. A ladder of seven rungs appears in the Mithraic
initiation. Faber is of the opinion that this ladder was originally a pyramid of seven steps. It is
possible that the Masonic ladder with seven rungs had its origin in this Mithraic symbol. Women
were never permitted to enter the Mithraic Order, but children of the male sex were initiates long
before they reached maturity. The refusal to permit women to join the Masonic Order may be based
on the esoteric reason given in the secret instructions of the Mithraics. This cult is another excellent
example of those secret societies whose legends are largely symbolic representations of the sun and
his journey through the houses of the heavens. Mithras, rising from a stone, is merely the sun rising
over the horizon, or, as the ancients supposed, out of the horizon, at the vernal equinox.

John O'Neill disputes the theory that Mithras was intended as a solar deity. In The Night of the Gods
he writes: "The Avestan Mithra, the yazata of light, has '10,000 eyes, high, with full knowledge
(perethuvaedayana), strong, sleepless and ever awake (jaghaurvaunghem).'The supreme god Ahura
Mazda also has one Eye, or else it is said that 'with his eyes, the sun, moon and stars, he sees
everything.' The theory that Mithra was originally a title of the supreme heavens-god~putting the
sun out of court—is the only one that answers all requirements. It will be evident that here we have
origins in abundance for the Freemason's Eye and 'its nunquam dormio.'" The reader must nor
confuse the Persian Mithra with the Vedic Mitra. According to Alexander Wilder, "The Mithraic rites
superseded the Mysteries of Bacchus, and became the foundation of the Gnostic system, which for
many centuries prevailed in Asia, Egypt, and even the remote West."

SOLIJNVICTO DEO ^

MITHRAS SLAYING THE BULL.

From Lundy's Monumental Christianity.

The most famous sculpturings and reliefs of this prototokos show Mithras kneehng upon the recumbent form of a great
bull, into whose throat he is driving a sword. The slaying of the bull signifies that the rays of the sun, symbolized by the
sword, release at the vernal equinox the vital essences of the earth—the blood of the bull—which, pouring from the wound
made by the Sun God, fertilize the seeds of living things. Dogs were held sacred to the cult of Mithras, being symbolic of
sincerity and trustworthiness. The Mithraics used the serpent a an emblem of Ahriman, the Spirit of Evil, and water rats
were held sacred to him. The bull is esoterically the Constellation of Taurus; the serpent, its opposite in the zodiac,

Scorpio; the sun, Mithras, entering into the side of the bull, slays the celestial creature and nourishes the universe with its
blood.

THE BIRTH OF MITHRAS.

From Montfaucon's Antiquities

Mithras was born out of a rock, which, breaking open, permitted him to emerge. This occurred in the darkness of a
subterranean chamber. The Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem confirms the theory that Jesus was born in a grotto, or
cave. According to Dupuis, Mithras was put to death by crucifixion and rose again on the third day.

•25

The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies

Part Two

THE entire history of Christian and pagan Gnosticism is shrouded in the deepest mystery and
obscurity; for, while the Gnostics were undoubtedly prolific writers, little of their literature has
survived. They brought down upon themselves the animosity of the early Christian Church, and when
this institution reached its position of world power it destroyed all available records of the Gnostic
cultus. The name Gnostic means wisdom, or knowledge, and is derived from the Greek Gnosis. The
members of the order claimed to be familiar with the secret doctrines of early Christianity. They
interpreted the Christian Mysteries according to pagan symbolism. Their secret information and
philosophic tenets they concealed from the profane and taught to a small group only of especially
initiated persons.

Simon Magus, the magician of New Testament fame, is often supposed to have been the founder of
Gnosticism. If this be true, the sect was formed during the century after Christ and is probably the
first of the many branches which have sprung from the main trunk of Christianity. Everything with
which the enthusiasts of the early Christian Church might not agree they declared to be inspired by
the Devil. That Simon Magus had mysterious and supernatural powers is conceded even by his
enemies, but they maintained that these powers were lent to him by the infernal spirits and furies
which they asserted were his ever present companions. Undoubtedly the most interesting legend
concerning Simon is that which tells of his theosophic contests with the Apostle Peter while the two
were promulgating their differing doctrines in Rome. According to the story that the Church Fathers
have preserved, Simon was to prove his spiritual superiority by ascending to heaven in a chariot of
fire. He was actually picked up and carried many feet into the air by invisible powers. When St. Peter
saw this, he cried out in a loud voice, ordering the demons (spirits of the air) to release their hold
upon the magician. The evil spirits, when so ordered by the great saint, were forced to obey. Simon
fell a great distance and was killed, which decisively proved the superiority of the Christian powers.
This story is undoubtedly manufactured out of whole cloth, as it is only one out of many accounts
concerning his death, few of which agree. As more and more evidence is being amassed to the effect
that St, Peter was never in Rome, its last possible vestige of authenticity is rapidly being dissipated.

That Simon was a philosopher there is no doubt, for wherever his exact words are preserved his
synthetic and transcending thoughts are beautifully expressed. The principles of Gnosticism are well
described in the following verbatim statement by him, supposed to have been preserved by
Hippolytus: "To you, therefore, I say what I say, and write what I write. And the writing is this. Of the
universal vEons [periods, planes, or cycles of creative and created life in substance and space, celestial
creatures] there are two shoots, without beginning or end, springing from one Root, which is the
power invisible, inapprehensible silence [Bythos]. Of these shoots one is manifested from above,
which is the Great Power, the Universal Mind ordering all things, male, and the other, [is manifested]
from below, the Great Thought, female, producing all things. Hence pairing with each other, they
unite and manifest the Middle Distance, incomprehensible Air, without beginning or end. In this is
the Father Who sustains all things, and nourishes those things which have a beginning and end." (See
Simon Magus, by G. R. S. Mead.) By this we are to understand that manifestation is the result of a
positive and a negative principle, one acting upon the other, and it takes place in the middle plane, or
point of equilibrium, called the pleroma. This pleroma is a peculiar substance produced out of the
blending of the spiritual and material aeons. Out of the pleroma was individualized the Demiurgus,
the immortal mortal, to whom we are responsible for our physical existence and the suffering we
must go through in connection with it. In the Gnostic system, three pairs of opposites, called Syzygies,
emanated from the Eternal One. These, with Himself, make the total of seven. The six (three pairs)

iEons (living, divine principles) were described by Simon in the Philosophumena in the following
manner: The first two were Mind (Nous) and Thought (Epinoia). Then came Voice (Phone) and its
opposite, Name (Onoma), and lastly. Reason (Logismos) and Reflection (Enthumesis). From these
primordial six, united with the Eternal Flame, came forth the vEons (Angels) who formed the lower
worlds through the direction of the Demiurgus. (See the works of H. P. Blavatsky.) How this first
Gnosticism of Simon Magus and Menander, his disciple, was amplified, and frequently distorted, by
later adherents to the cult must now be considered.

The School of Gnosticism was divided into two major parts, commonly called the Syrian Cult and the
Alexandrian Cult. These schools agreed in essentials, but the latter division was more inclined to be
pantheistic, while the former was dualistic. While the Syrian cult was largely Simonian, the
Alexandrian School was the outgrowth of the philosophical deductions of a clever Egyptian Christian,
Basilides by name, who claimed to have received his instructions from the Apostle Matthew. Like
Simon Magus, he was an emanationist, with Neo-Platonic inclinations. In fact, the entire Gnostic
Mystery is based upon the hypothesis of emanations as being the logical connection between the
irreconcilable opposites Absolute Spirit and Absolute Substance, which the Gnostics believed to have
been coexistent in Eternity. Some assert that Basilides was the true founder of Gnosticism, but there
is much evidence to the effect that Simon Magus laid down its fundamental principles in the
preceding century.

The Alexandrian Basilides inculcated Egyptian Hermeticism, Oriental occultism, Chaldean astrology,
and Persian philosophy in his followers, and in his doctrines sought to unite the schools of early
Christianity with the ancient pagan Mysteries. To him is attributed the formulation of that peculiar
concept of the Deity which carries the name of Abraxas. In discussing the original meaning of this
word, Godfrey Higgins, in his Celtic Druids, has demonstrated that the numerological powers of the
letters forming the word Abraxas when added together result in the sum of 365. The same author also
notes that the name Mithras when treated in a similar manner has the same numerical value.
Basilides caught that the

THE DEATH OF SIMON THE MAGICIAN.

From the Nuremberg Chronicle.

Simon Magus, having called upon the Spirits of the Air, is here shown being picked up by the demons. St. Peter demands
that the evil genii release their hold upon the magician. The demons are forced to comply and Simon Magus is killed by
the fall.

p. 26

powers of the universe were divided into 365 ^ons, or spiritual cycles, and that the sum of all these
together was the Supreme Father, and to Him he gave the Qabbalistical appellation Abraxas, as being
symbolical, numerologically, of His divine powers, attributes, and emanations. Abraxas is usually
symbolized as a composite creature, with the body of a human being and the head of a rooster, and
with each of his legs ending in a serpent. C. W. King, in his Gnostics and Their Remains, gives the
following concise description of the Gnostic philosophy of Basilides, quoting from the writings of the
early Christian bishop and martyr, St. Irengeus: "He asserted that God, the uncreated, eternal Father,
had first brought forth Nous, or Mind; this the Logos, Word; this again Phronesis, Intelligence; from
Phronesis sprung Sophia, Wisdom, and Dynamis, Strength."

In describing Abraxas, C. W. King says: "Bellermann considers the composite image, inscribed with
the actual name Abraxas, to be a Gnostic Pantheos, representing the Supreme Being, with the Five
Emanations marked out by appropriate symbols. From the human body, the usual form assigned to
the Deity, spring the two supporters, Nous and Logos, expressed in the serpents, symbols of the inner
senses, and the quickening understanding; on which account the Greeks had made the serpent the
attribute of Pallas. His head—that of a cock—represents Phronesis, that bird being the emblem of
foresight and of vigilance. His two arms hold the symbols of Sophia and Dynamis: the shield of
Wisdom and the whip of Power."

The Gnostics were divided in their opinions concerning the Demiurgus, or creator of the lower worlds.
He established the terrestrial universe with the aid of six sons, or emanations (possibly the planetary
Angels) which He formed out of, and yet within. Himself. As stated before, the Demiurgus was
individualized as the lowest creation out of the substance called p/eroma. One group of the Gnostics
was of the opinion that the Demiurgus was the cause of all misery and was an evil creature, who by
building this lower world had separated the souls of men from truth by encasing them in mortal
vehicles. The other sect viewed the Demiurgus as being divinely inspired and merely fulfilling the
dictates of the invisible Lord. Some Gnostics were of the opinion that the Jewish God, Jehovah, was
the Demiurgus. This concept, under a slightly different name, apparently influenced mediaeval
Rosicrucianism, which viewed Jehovah as the Lord of the material universe rather than as the
Supreme Deity. Mythology abounds with the stories of gods who partook of both celestial and
terrestrial natures. Odin, of Scandinavia, is a good example of a deity subject to mortality, bowing
before the laws of Nature and yet being, in certain senses at least, a Supreme Deity.

The Gnostic vieM^oint concerning the Christ is well worthy of consideration. This order claimed to be
the only sect to have actual pictures of the Divine Syrian. While these were, in all probability,
idealistic conceptions of the Savior based upon existing sculpturings and paintings of the pagan sun
gods, they were all Christianity had. To the Gnostics, the Christ was the personification of Nous, the
Divine Mind, and emanated from the higher spiritual iEons. He descended into the body of Jesus at
the baptism and left it again before the crucifixion. The Gnostics declared that the Christ was not
crucified, as this Divine Nous could not suffer death, but that Simon, the Cyrenian, offered his life
instead and that the Nous, by means of its power, caused Simon to resemble Jesus. Irenseus makes
the following statement concerning the cosmic sacrifice of the Christ:

"When the uncreated, unnamed Father saw the corruption of mankind. He sent His firstborn. Nous,
into the world, in the form of Christ, for the redemption of all who believe in Him, out of the power of
those that have fabricated the world (the Demiurgus, and his six sons, the planetary genii). He
appeared amongst men as the Man Jesus, and wrought miracles." (See King's Gnostics and Their
Remains.)

The Gnostics divided humanity into three parts: those who, as savages, worshiped only the visible

Nature; those who, like the Jews, worshiped the Demiurgus; and lastly, themselves, or others of a
similar cult, including certain sects of Christians, who worshiped Nous (Christ) and the true spiritual
light of the higher vEons.

After the death of Basilides, Valentinus became the leading inspiration of the Gnostic movement. He
still further complicated the system of Gnostic philosophy by adding infinitely to the details. He
increased the number of emanations from the Great One (the Abyss) to fifteen pairs and also laid
much emphasis on the Virgin Sophia, or Wisdom. In the Books of the Savior, parts of which are
commonly known as the Pistis Sophia, may be found much material concerning this strange doctrine
of i^lons and their strange inhabitants. James Freeman Clarke, in speaking of the doctrines of the
Gnostics, says: "These doctrines, strange as they seem to us, had a wide influence in the Christian
Church." Many of the theories of the ancient Gnostics, especially those concerning scientific subjects,
have been substantiated by modern research. Several sects branched off from the main stem of
Gnosticism, such as the Valentinians, the Ophites (serpent worshipers), and the Adamites. After the
third century their power waned, and the Gnostics practically vanished from the philosophic world.
An effort was made during the Middle Ages to resurrect the principles of Gnosticism, but owing to the
destruction of their records the material necessary was not available. Even today there are evidences
of Gnostic philosophy in the modern world, but they bear other names and their true origin is not
suspected. Many of the Gnostic concepts have actually been incorporated into the dogmas of the
Christian Church, and our newer interpretations of Christianity are often along the lines of Gnostic
emanationism.

THE MYSTERIES OF

ASAR-HAPI

The identity of the Greco-Egyptian Serapis (known to the Greeks as Serapis and the Egyptians as
Asar-Hapi) is shrouded by an impenetrable veil of mystery. While this deity was a familiar figure
among the symbols of the secret Egyptian initiatory rites, his arcane nature was revealed only to those
who had fulfilled the requirements of the Serapic cultus. Therefore, in all probability, excepting the
initiated priests, the Egyptians themselves were ignorant of his true character. So far as known, there
exists no authentic account of the rites of Serapis, but an analysis of the deity and his accompanying
symbols reveals their salient points. In an oracle delivered to the King of Cyprus, Serapis described
himself thus:

"A god I am such as I show to thee.
The Starry Heavens are my head, my trunk the sea.
Earth forms my feet, mine ears the air supplies.
The Sun's far-darting, brilliant rays, mine eyes."

Several unsatisfactory attempts have been made to etymologize the word Serapis. Godfrey Higgins
notes that Soros was the name given by the Egyptians to a stone coffin, and Apis was Osiris incarnate
in the sacred bull. These two words combined result in Soros-Apis or Sor-Apis, "the tomb of the bull."
But it is improbable that the Egyptians would worship a coffin in the form of a man.

Several ancient authors, including Macrobius, have affirmed that Serapis was a name for the Sun,
because his image so often had a halo of light about its head. In his Oration Upon the Sovereign Sun,
Julian speaks of the deity in these words: "One Jove, one Pluto, one Sun is Serapis." In Hebrew,
Serapis is Saraph, meaning "to blaze out" or "to blaze up." For this reason the Jews designated one of
their hierarchies of spiritual beings. Seraphim.

The most common theory, however, regarding the origin of the name Serapis is that which traces its

derivation from the compound Osiris-Apis. At one time the Egyptians believed that the dead were
absorbed into the nature of Osiris, the god of the dead. While marked similarity exists between Osiris-
Apis and Serapis, the theory advanced by Egyptologists that Serapis is merely a name given to the
dead Apis, or sacred bull of Egypt, is untenable in view of the transcendent wisdom possessed by the
Egyptian priestcraft, who, in all probability, used the god to symbolize the soul of the world {anima
mundi). The material body of Nature was called Apzs; the soul which escaped from the body at death
but was enmeshed with the form during physical life was designated Serapis.

C. W. King believes Serapis to be a deity of Brahmanic extraction, his name being the Grecianized
form of Ser-adah or Sri-pa, two titles ascribed to Yama, the Hindu god of death. This appears
reasonable, especially since there is a legend to the effect that Serapis, in the form of a bull, was
driven by Bacchus from India to Egypt. The priority of the Hindu Mysteries would further
substantiate such a theory.

Among other meanings suggested for the word Serapis are: "The Sacred Bull," "The Sun in Taurus,"
"The Soul of Osiris," "The Sacred Serpent," and "The Retiring of the Bull." The last appellation has
reference to the ceremony of drowning the sacred Apis in the waters of the Nile every twenty-five
years.

This Gnostic gem represents by its serpentine body the pathway of the Sun and by its Hon head the exaltation of the solar
in the constellation of Leo.

THE LION-FACED LIGHT-POWER.

From Montfaucon 's Antiquities.

A SYMBOLIC LABYRINTH.

From Montfaucon 's Antiquities.

Labyrinths and mazes were favored places of initiation among many ancient cults. Remains of these mystic mazes have
been found among the American Indians, Hindus, Persians, Egyptians, and Greeks. Some of these mazes are merely
involved pathways lined with stones; others are literally miles of gloomy caverns under temples or hollowed from the
sides of mountains. The famous labyrinth of Crete, in which roamed the bull-headed Minotaur, was unquestionably a
place of initiation into the Cretan Mysteries.

p. 27

There is considerable evidence that the famous statue of Serapis in the Serapeum at Alexandria was
originally worshiped under another name at Sinope, from which it was brought to Alexandria. There
is also a legend which tells that Serapis was a very early king of the Egyptians, to whom they owed the
foundation of their philosophical and scientific power. After his death this king was elevated to the
estate of a god. Phylarchus declared that the word Serapis means "the power that disposed the
universe into its present beautiful order."

In his Isis and Osiris, Plutarch gives the following account of the origin of the magnificent statue of
Serapis which stood in the Serapeum at Alexandria:

While he was Pharaoh of Egypt, Ptolemy Soter had a strange dream in which he beheld a tremendous
statue, which came to life and ordered the Pharaoh to bring it to Alexandria with all possible speed.
Ptolemy Soter, not knowing the whereabouts of the statue, was sorely perplexed as to how he could
discover it. While the Pharaoh was relating his dream, a great traveler by the name of Sosibius,
coming forward, declared that he had seen such an image at Sinope. The Pharaoh immediately
dispatched Soteles and Dionysius to negotiate for the removal of the figure to Alexandria. Three years
elapsed before the image was finally obtained, the representatives of the Pharaoh finally stealing it
and concealing the theft by spreading a story that the statue had come to life and, walking down the
street leading from its temple, had boarded the ship prepared for its transportation to Alexandria.
Upon its arrival in Egypt, the figure was brought into the presence of two Egyptian Initiates—the
Eumolpid Timotheus and Manetho the Sebennite~who, immediately pronounced it to be Serapis.
The priests then declared that it was equipollent to Pluto. This was a masterly stroke, for in Serapis
the Greeks and Egyptians found a deity in common and thus religious unity was consummated
between the two nations.

Several figures of Serapis that stood in his various temples in Egypt and Rome have been described by
early authors. Nearly all these showed Grecian rather than Egyptian influence. In some the body of
the god was encircled by the coils of a great serpent. Others showed him as a composite of Osiris and
Apis.

A description of the god that in all probability is reasonably accurate is that which represents him as a
tall, powerful figure, conveying the twofold impression of manly strength and womanly grace. His
face portrayed a deeply pensive mood, the expression inclining toward sadness. His hair was long and
arranged in a somewhat feminine manner, resting in curls upon his breast and shoulders. The face,
save for its heavy beard, was also decidedly feminine. The figure of Serapis was usually robed from
head to foot in heavy draperies, believed by initiates to conceal the fact that his body was
androgynous.

Various substances were used in making the statues of Serapis. Some undoubtedly were carved from
stone or marble by skilled craftsmen; others may have been cast from base or precious metals. One
colossus of Serapis was composed of plates of various metals fitted together. In a labyrinth sacred to
Serapis stood a thirteen-foot statue of him reputed to have been made from a single emerald. Modern
writers, discussing this image, state that it was made of green glass poured into a mold. According to
the Egyptians, however, it withstood all the tests of an actual emerald.

Clement of Alexandria describes a figure of Serapis compounded from the following elements: First,
filings of gold, silver, lead, and tin; second, all manner of Egyptian stones, including sapphires,
hematites, emeralds, and topazes; all these being ground down and mixed together with the coloring
matter left over from the funeral of Osiris and Apis. The result was a rare and curious figure, indigo in
color. Some of the statues of Serapis must have been formed of extremely hard substances, for when a
Christian soldier, carrying out the edict of Theodosius, struck the Alexandrian Serapis with his ax,
that instrument was shattered into fragments and sparks flew from it. It is also quite probable that
Serapis was worshiped in the form of a serpent, in common with many of the higher deities of the
Egyptian and Greek pantheons.

Serapis was called Theon Heptagrammaton, or the god with the name of seven letters. The name
Serapis (like Abraxas and Mithras) contains seven letters. In their hymns to Serapis the priests
chanted the seven vowels. Occasionally Serapis is depicted with horns or a coronet of seven rays.
These evidently represented the seven divine intelligences manifesting through the solar light. The
Encyclopgedia Britannica notes that the earliest authentic mention of Serapis is in connection with
the death of Alexander. Such was the prestige of Serapis that he alone of the gods was consulted in
behalf of the dying king.

The Egyptian secret school of philosophy was divided into the Lesser and the Greater Mysteries, the
former being sacred to Isis and the latter to Serapis and Osiris. Wilkinson is of the opinion that only
the priests were permitted to enter the Greater Mysteries. Even the heir to the throne was not eligible
until he had been crowned Pharaoh, when, by virtue of his kingly office, he automatically became a
priest and the temporal head of the state religion. (See Wilkinson's Manners and Customs of the
Egyptians.) A limited number were admitted into the Greater Mysteries: these preserved their secrets
inviolate.

Much of the information concerning the rituals of the higher degrees of the Egyptian Mysteries has
been gleaned from an examination of the chambers and passageways in which the initiations were
given. Under the temple of Serapis destroyed by Theodosius were found strange mechanical
contrivances constructed by the priests in the subterranean crypts and caverns where the nocturnal
initiatory rites were celebrated. These machines indicate the severe tests of moral and physical
courage undergone by the candidates. After passing through these tortuous ways, the neophytes who
Survived the ordeals were ushered into the presence of Serapis, a noble and awe-inspiring figure
illumined by unseen lights.

Labyrinths were also a striking feature in connection with the Rice of Serapis, and E. A. Wallis Budge,
in his Gods of the Egyptians, depicts Serapis(Minotaur-like) with the body of a man and the head of a
bull. Labyrinths were symbolic of the involvements and illusions of the lower world through which
wanders the soul of man in its search for truth. In the labyrinth dwells the lower animal man with the
head of the bull, who seeks to destroy the soul entangled in the maze of worldly ignorance. In this
relation Serapis becomes the Tryer or Adversary who tests the souls of those seeking union with the
Immortals. The maze was also doubtless used to represent the solar system, the Bull-Man
representing the sun dwelling in the mystic maze of its planets, moons, and asteroids.

The Gnostic Mysteries were acquainted with the arcane meaning of Serapis, and through the medium
of Gnosticism this god became inextricably associated with early Christianity. In fact, the Emperor
Hadrian, while traveling in Egypt in A.D. 24, declared in a letter to Servianus that the worshipers of
Serapis were Christians and that the Bishops of the church also worshiped at his shrine. He even
declared that the Patriarch himself, when in Egypt, was forced to adore Serapis as well as Christ. (See
Parsons' New Light on the Great Pyramid.)

The little-suspected importance of Serapis as a prototype of Christ can be best appreciated after a
consideration of the following extract from C. W. King's Gnostics and Their Remains: "There can be

no doubt that the head of Serapis, marked as the face is by a grave and pensive majesty, suppHed the
first idea for the conventional portraits of the Saviour. The Jewish prejudices of the first converts
were so powerful that we may be sure no attempt was made to depict His countenance until some
generations after all that had beheld it on earth had passed away."

Serapis gradually usurped the positions previously occupied by the other Egyptian and Greek gods,
and became the supreme deity of both religions. His power continued until the fourth century of

THE ALEXANDRIAN SERAPIS.

From Mosaize Historie der Hebreeuwse Kerke.

Serapis is often shown standing on the back of the sacred crocodile, carrying in his left hand a rule with which to measure
the inundations of the Nile, and balancing with his right hand a curious emblem consisting of an animal with the heads.
The first head—that of a lion—signified the present; the second head— that of a wolf— the past; and the third head— that of a
dog— the future. The body with its three heads was enveloped by the twisted coils of a serpent. Figures of Serapis are
occasionally accompanied by Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Pluto, and— like Jupiter— carry baskets of grain upon their
heads.

p. 28

the Christian Era. In A.D. 385, Theodosius, that would-be exterminator of pagan philosophy, issued
his memorable edict De Idolo Serapidis Diruendo. When the Christian soldiers, in obedience to this
order, entered the Serapeum at Alexandria to destroy the image of Serapis which had stood there for
centuries, so great was their veneration for the god that they dared not touch the image lest the
ground should open at their feet and engulf them. At length, overcoming their fear, they demolished
the statue, sacked the building, and finally as a fitting climax to their offense burned the magnificent
library which was housed within the lofty apartments of the Serapeum. Several writers have recorded
the remarkable fact that Christian symbols were found in the ruined foundations of this pagan temple
Socrates, a church historian of the fifth century, declared that after the pious Christians had razed the
Serapeum at Alexandria and scattered the demons who dwelt there under the guise of gods, beneath
the foundations was found the monogram of Christ!

Two quotations will further establish the relationship existing between the Mysteries of Serapis and
those of other ancient peoples. The first is from Richard Payne Knight's Symbolical Language of
Ancient Art and Mythology: "Hence Varro [in De Lingua Latina] says that Coelum and Terra, that is
universal mind and productive body, were the Great Gods of the Samothracian Mysteries; and the
same as the Serapis and Isis of the later ^Egyptians: the Taautos and Astarte of the Phcenicians, and
the Saturn and Ops of the Latins." The second quotation is from Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma:
"'Thee,' says Martianus Capella, in his hymn to the Sun, 'dwellers on the Nile adore as Serapis, and
Memphis worships as Osiris: in the sacred rites of Persia thou art Mithras, in Phrygia, Atys, and Libya
bows down to thee as Ammon, and Phoenician Byblos as Adonis; thus the whole world adores thee
under different names.'"

THE ODINIC MYSTERIES

The date of the founding of the Odinic Mysteries is uncertain, some writers declaring that they were
established in the first century before Christ; others, the first century after Christ. Robert Macoy, 33°,
gives the following description of their origin: "It appears from the northern chronicles that in the
first century of the Christian Era, Sigge, the chief of the Aser, an Asiatic tribe, emigrated from the
Caspian sea and the Caucasus into northern Europe. He directed his course northwesterly from the
Black sea to Russia, over which, according to tradition, he placed one of his sons as a ruler, as he is
said to have done over the Saxons and the Franks. He then advanced through Cimbria to Denmark,
which acknowledged his fifth son Skiold as its sovereign, and passed over to Sweden, where Gylf, who
did homage to the wonderful stranger, and was initiated into his mysteries, then ruled. He soon made
himself master here, built Sigtuna as the capital of his empire, and promulgated a new code of laws,
and established the sacred mysteries. He, himself, assumed the name of Odin, founded the priesthood
of the twelve Drottars (Druids?) who conducted the secret worship, and the administration of justice,
and, as prophets, revealed the future. The secret rites of these mysteries celebrated the death of
Balder, the beautiful and lovely, and represented the grief of Gods and men at his death, and his
restoration to life." {General History of Freemasonry.)

After his death, the historical Odin was apotheosized, his identity being merged into that of the
mjrthological Odin, god of wisdom, whose cult he had promulgated. Odinism then supplanted the
worship of Thor, the thunderer, the supreme deity of the ancient Scandinavian pantheon. The mound
where, according to legend, King Odin was buried is still to be seen near the site of his great temple at
Upsala.

The twelve Drottars who presided over the Odinic Mysteries evidently personified the twelve holy
and ineffable names of Odin. The rituals of the Odinic Mysteries were very similar to those of the
Greeks, Persians, and Brahmins, after which they were patterned. The Drottars, who symbolized the
signs of the zodiac, were the custodians of the arts and sciences, which they revealed to those who
passed successfully the ordeals of initiation. Like many other pagan cults, the Odinic Mysteries, as an
institution, were destroyed by Christianity, but the underlying cause of their fall was the corruption of
the priesthood.

Mythology is nearly always the ritual and the symbolism of a Mystery school. Briefly stated, the
sacred drama which formed the basis of the Odinic Mysteries was as follows:

The Supreme, invisible Creator of all things was called All-Father. His regent in Nature was Odin, the
one-eyed god. Like Quetzalcoatl, Odin was elevated to the dignity of the Supreme Deity. According to
the Drottars, the universe was fashioned from the body of Ymir, the hoarfrost giant. Ymir was formed
from the clouds of mist that rose from Ginnungagap, the great cleft in chaos into which the
primordial frost giants and flame giants had hurled snow and fire. The three gods—Odin, Vili, and Ve-
-slew Ymir and from him formed the world. From Ymir's various members the different parts of
Nature were fashioned.

After Odin had established order, he caused a wonderful palace, called Asgard, to be built on the top

of a mountain, and here the twelve ^^Isir (gods) dwelt together, far above the limitations of mortal
men. On this mountain also was Valhalla, the palace of the slain, where those who had heroically died
fought and feasted day after day. Each night their wounds were healed and the boar whose flesh they
ate renewed itself as rapidly as it was consumed.

Balder the Beautiful—the Scandinavian Christ —was the beloved son of Odin. Balder was not warlike;
his kindly and beautiful spirit brought peace and joy to the hearts of the gods, and they all loved him
save one. As Jesus had a Judas among His twelve disciples, so one of the twelve gods was false—Loki,
the personification of evil. Loki caused Hothr, the blind god of fate, to shoot Balder with a mistletoe
arrow. With the death of Balder, light and joy vanished from the lives of the other deities.
Heartbroken, the gods gathered to find a method whereby they could resurrect this spirit of eternal
life and youth. The result was the establishment of the Mysteries.

The Odinic Mysteries were given in underground crypts or caves, the chambers, nine in number,
representing the Nine Worlds of the Mysteries. The candidate seeking admission was assigned the
task of raising Balder from the dead. Although he did not realize it, he himself played the part of
Balder. He called himself a wanderer; the caverns through which he passed were symbolic of the
worlds and spheres of Nature. The priests who initiated him were emblematic of the sun, the moon,
and the stars. The three supreme initiators—the Sublime, the Equal to the Sublime, and the Highest—
were analogous to the Worshipful Master and the junior and Senior Wardens of a Masonic lodge.

After wandering for hours through the intricate passageways, the candidate was ushered into the
presence of a statue of Balder the Beautiful, the prototype of all initiates into the Mysteries. This
figure stood in the center of a great apartment roofed with shields. In the midst of the chamber stood
a plant with seven blossoms, emblematic of the planers. In this room, which symbolized the house of
the i^sir, or Wisdom, the neophyte took his oath of secrecy and piety upon the naked blade of a sword.
He drank the sanctified mead from a bowl made of a human skull and, having passed successfully
through all the tortures and trials designed to divert him from the course of wisdom, he was finally
permitted to unveil the mystery of Odin—the personification of wisdom. He was presented, in the
name of Balder, with the sacred ring of the order; he was hailed as a man reborn; and it was said of
him that he had died and had been raised again without passing through the gates of death.

Richard Wagner's immortal composition, Der Ring des Nibelungen, is based upon the Mystery rituals
of the Odinic cult. While the great composer took many liberties with the original story, the Ring
Operas, declared to be the grandest tetralogy of music dramas the world possesses, have caught and
preserved in a remarkable manner the majesty and power of the original sagas. Beginning with Das
Rheingold, the action proceeds through Die Walkilre and Siegfried to an awe-inspiring climax in
Gdtterddmmerung, "The Twilight of the Gods."

THE NINE WORLDS OF THE ODINIC MYSTERIES.

The Nordic Mysteries were given in nine chambers, or caverns, the candidate advancing through them in sequential order.
These chambers of initiation represented the nine spheres into which the Drottars divided the universe: (i) Asgard, the
Heaven World of the Gods; (2) Alf-heim, the World of the light and beautiful Elves, or Spirits; (3) Nifl-heim, the World of
Cold and Darkness, which is located in the North; (4) Jotun-heim, the World of the Giants, which is located in the East; (5)
Midgard, the Earth World of human beings, which is located in the midst, or middle place; (6) Vana-heim, the World of
the Vanes, which is located in the West; (7) Muspells-heim, the World of Fire, which is located in the South; 8) Svart-alfa-
heim, the World of the dark and treacherous Elves, which is under the earth; and (9) Hel-heim, the World of cold and the
abode of the dead, which is located at the very lowest point of the universe. It is to be understood that all of these worlds
are invisible to the senses, except Midgard, the home of human creatures, but during the process of initiation the soul of
the candidate—liberated from its earthly sheath by the secret power of the priests—wanders amidst the inhabitants of
these various spheres. There is undoubtedly a relationship between the nine worlds of the Scandinavians and the nine
spheres, or planes, through which initiates of the Eleusinian Mysteries passed in their ritual of regeneration.

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The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies

Part Three

THE most famous of the ancient religious Mysteries were the Eleusinian, whose rites were celebrated
every five years in the city of Eleusis to honor Ceres (Demeter, Rhea, or Isis) and her daughter,
Persephone. The initiates of the Eleusinian School were famous throughout Greece for the beauty of
their philosophic concepts and the high standards of morality which they demonstrated in their daily
lives. Because of their excellence, these Mysteries spread to Rome and Britain, and later the
initiations were given in both these countries. The Eleusinian Mysteries, named for the community in
Attica where the sacred dramas were first presented, are generally believed to have been founded by
Eumolpos about fourteen hundred years before the birth of Christ, and through the Platonic system
of philosophy their principles have been preserved to modern times.

The rites of Eleusis, with their Mystic interpretations of Nature's most precious secrets,
overshadowed the civilizations of their time and gradually absorbed many smaller schools,
incorporating into their own system whatever valuable information these lesser institutions possessed.
Heckethorn sees in the Mysteries of Ceres and Bacchus a metamorphosis of the rites of Isis and Osiris,
and there is every reason to believe that all so-called secret schools of the ancient world were
branches from one philosophic tree which, with its root in heaven and its branches on the earth, is~
like the spirit of man—an invisible but ever-present cause of the objectified vehicles that give it
expression. The Mysteries were the channels through which this one philosophic light was
disseminated, and their initiates, resplendent with intellectual and spiritual understanding, were the
perfect fruitage of the divine tree, bearing witness before the material world of the recondite source of
all Light and Truth.

The rites of Eleusis were divided into what were called the Lesser and the Greater Mysteries.
According to James Gardner, the Lesser Mysteries were celebrated in the spring (probably at the time
of the vernal equinox) in the town of Agrse, and the Greater, in the fall (the time of the autumnal
equinox) at Eleusis or Athens. It is supposed that the former were given annually and the latter every
five years. The rituals of the Eleusinians were highly involved, and to understand them required a
deep study of Greek mythology, which they interpreted in its esoteric light with the aid of their secret
keys.

The Lesser Mysteries were dedicated to Persephone. In his Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries,
Thomas Taylor sums up their purpose as follows: "The Lesser Mysteries were designed by the ancient
theologists, their founders, to signify occultly the condition of the unpurified soul invested with an
earthy body, and enveloped in a material and physical nature."

The legend used in the Lesser rites is that of the abduction of the goddess Persephone, the daughter of
Ceres, by Pluto, the lord of the underworld, or Hades. While Persephone is picking flowers in a
beautiful meadow, the earth suddenly opens and the gloomy lord of death, riding in a magnificent
chariot, emerges from its somber depths and, grasping her in his arms, carries the screaming and
struggling goddess to his subterranean palace, where he forces her to become his queen.

It is doubtful whether many of the initiates themselves understood the mystic meaning of this
allegory, for most of them apparently believed that it referred solely to the succession of the seasons.
It is difficult to obtain satisfactory information concerning the Mysteries, for the candidates were
bound by inviolable oaths never to reveal their inner secrets to the profane. At the beginning of the
ceremony of initiation, the candidate stood upon the skins of animals sacrificed for the purpose, and

vowed that death should seal his lips before he would divulge the sacred truths which were about to
be communicated to him. Through indirect channels, however, some of their secrets have been
preserved. The teachings given to the neophytes were substantially as follows:

The soul of man—often called Psyche, and in the Eleusinian Mysteries symbolized by Persephone~is
essentially a spiritual thing. Its true home is in the higher worlds, where, free from the bondage of
material form and material concepts, it is said to be truly alive and self-expressive. The human, or
physical, nature of man, according to this doctrine, is a tomb, a quagmire, a false and impermanent
thing, the source of all sorrow and suffering. Plato describes the body as the sepulcher of the soul; and
by this he means not only the human form but also the human nature.

The gloom and depression of the Lesser Mysteries represented the agony of the spiritual soul unable
to express itself because it has accepted the limitations and illusions of the human environment. The
crux of the Eleusinian argument was that man is neither better nor wiser after death than during life.
If he does not rise above ignorance during his sojourn here, man goes at death into eternity to wander
about forever, making the same mistakes which he made here. If he does not outgrow the desire for
material possessions here, he will carry it with him into the invisible world, where, because he can
never gratify the desire, he will continue in endless agony. Dante's Inferno is symbolically descriptive
of the sufferings of those who never freed their spiritual natures from the cravings, habits, viewpoints,
and limitations of their Plutonic personalities. Those who made no endeavor to improve themselves
(whose souls have slept) during their physical lives, passed at death into Hades, where, lying in rows,
they slept through all eternity as they had slept through life.

To the Eleusinian philosophers, birch into the physical world was death in the fullest sense of the
word, and the only true birth was that of the spiritual soul of man rising out of the womb of his own
fleshly nature. "The soul is dead that slumbers," says Longfellow, and in this he strikes the keynote of
the Eleusinian Mysteries. Just as Narcissus, gazing at himself in the water (the ancients used this
mobile element to symbolize the transitory, illusionary, material universe) lost his life trying to
embrace a reflection, so man, gazing into the mirror of Nature and accepting as his real self the
senseless clay that he sees reflected, loses the opportunity afforded by physical life to unfold his
immortal, invisible Self.

An ancient initiate once said that the living are ruled by the dead. Only those conversant with the
Eleusinian concept of life could understand that statement. It means that the majority of people are
not ruled by their living spirits but by their senseless (hence dead) animal personalities.
Transmigration and reincarnation were taught in these Mysteries, but in a somewhat unusual manner.
It was believed that at midnight the invisible worlds were closest to the Terrestrial sphere and that
souls coming into material existence slipped in during the midnight hour. For this reason many of the
Eleusinian

THE RAPE OF PERSEPHONE.

From Thomassin's Recucil des Figures, Groupes, Themes, Fontaines, Vases et autres Omements.

Pluto, the lord of the underworld, represents the body intelligence of man; and the rape of Persephone is symbolic of the
divine nature assaulted and defiled by the animal soul and dragged downward into the somber darkness of Hades, which
is here used as a synonym for the material, or objective, sphere of consciousness.

In his Disquisitions upon the Painted Greek Vases, James Christie presents Meursius' version of the occurrences taking
place during the nine days required for the enactment of the Greater Eleusinian Rites. The first day was that of general
meeting, during which those to be initiated were questioned concerning their several qualifications. The second day was
spent in a procession to the sea, possibly for the submerging of a image of the presiding goddess. The third day was
opened by the sacrifice of a mullet. On the fourth day the mystic basket containing certain sacred symbols was brought to
Eleusis, accompanied by a number of female devotees carrying smaller baskets. On the evening of the fifth day there was a
torch race, on the sixth a procession led by a statue of lacchus, and on the seventh an athletic contest. The eighth day was
devoted to a repetition of the ceremonial for the benefit of any who might have been prevented from coming sooner. The
ninth and last day was devoted to the deepest philosophical issues of the Eleusinia, during which an urn or jar—the
symbol of Bacchus—was exhibited as an emblem of supreme importance.

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ceremonies were performed at midnight. Some of those sleeping spirits who had failed to awaken
their higher natures during the earth life and who now floated around in the invisible worlds,
surrounded by a darkness of their own making, occasionally slipped through at this hour and
assumed the forms of various creatures.

The mystics of Eleusis also laid stress upon the evil of suicide, explaining that there was a profound
mystery concerning this crime of which they could not speak, but warning their disciples that a great
sorrow comes to all who take their own lives. This, in substance, constitutes the esoteric doctrine
given to the initiates of the Lesser Mysteries. As the degree dealt largely with the miseries of those
who failed to make the best use of their philosophic opportunities, the chambers of initiation were
subterranean and the horrors of Hades were vividly depicted in a complicated ritualistic drama. After
passing successfully through the tortuous passageways, with their trials and dangers, the candidate
received the honorary title of Mystes. This meant one who saw through a veil or had a clouded vision.

It also signified that the candidate had been brought up to the veil, which would be torn away in the
higher degree. The modern word mystic, as referring to a seeker after truth according to the dictates
of the heart along the path of faith, is probably derived from this ancient word, for faith is belief in the
reality of things unseen or veiled.

The Greater Mysteries (into which the candidate was admitted only after he had successfully passed
through the ordeals of the Lesser, and not always then) were sacred to Ceres, the mother of
Persephone, and represent her as wandering through the world in quest of her abducted daughter.
Ceres carried two torches, intuition and reason, to aid her in the search for her lost child (the soul). At
last she found Persephone not far from Eleusis, and out of gratitude taught the people there to
cultivate corn, which is sacred to her. She also founded the Mysteries. Ceres appeared before Pluto,
god of the souls of the dead, and pleaded with him to allow Persephone to return to her home. This
the god at first refused to do, because Persephone had eaten of the pomegranate, the fruit of mortality.
At last, however, he compromised and agreed to permit Persephone to live in the upper world half of
the year if she would stay with him in the darkness of Hades for the remaining half.

The Greeks believed that Persephone was a manifestation of the solar energy, which in the winter
months lived under the earth with Pluto, but in the summer returned again with the goddess of
productiveness. There is a legend that the flowers loved Persephone and that every year when she left
for the dark realms of Pluto, the plants and shrubs would die of grief. While the profane and
uninitiated had their own opinions on these subjects, the truths of the Greek allegories remained
safely concealed by the priests, who alone recognized the sublimity of these great philosophic and
religious parables.

Thomas Taylor epitomizes the doctrines of the Greater Mysteries in the following statement: "The
Greater (Mysteries) obscurely intimated, by mystic and splendid visions, the felicity of the soul both
here and hereafter when purified from the defilement of a material nature, and constantly elevated to
the realities of intellectual (spiritual) vision."

Just as the Lesser Mysteries discussed the prenatal epoch of man when the consciousness in its nine
days (embryologically, months) was descending into the realm of illusion and assuming the veil of
unreality, so the Greater Mysteries discussed the principles of spiritual regeneration and revealed to
initiates not only the simplest but also the most direct and complete method of liberating their higher
natures from the bondage of material ignorance. Like Prometheus chained to the top of Mount
Caucasus, man's higher nature is chained to his inadequate personality. The nine days of initiation
were also symbolic of the nine spheres through which the human soul descends during the process of
assuming a terrestrial form. The secret exercises for spiritual unfoldment given to disciples of the
higher degrees are unknown, but there is every reason to believe that they were similar to the
Brahmanic Mysteries, since it is known that the Eleusinian ceremonies were closed with the Sanskrit
words "Konx Om Pax."

That part of the allegory referring to the two six-month periods during one of which Persephone must
remain with Pluto, while during the other she may revisit the upper world, offers material for deep
consideration. It is probable that the Eleusinians realized that the soul left the body during steep, or
at least was made capable of leaving by the special training which undoubtedly they were in a position
to give. Thus Persephone would remain as the queen of Pluto's realm during the waking hours, but
would ascend to the spiritual worlds during the periods of sleep. The initiate was taught how to
intercede with Pluto to permit Persephone (the initiate's soul) to ascend from the darkness of his
material nature into the light of understanding. When thus freed from the shackles of clay and
crystallized concepts, the initiate was liberated not only for the period of his life but for all eternity,
for never thereafter was he divested of those soul qualities which after death were his vehicles for
manifestation and expression in the so-called heaven world.

In contrast to the idea of Hades as a state of darkness below, the gods were said to inhabit the tops of

mountains, a well-known example being Mount Olympus, where the twelve deities of the Greek
pantheon were said to dwell together. In his initiatory wanderings the neophyte therefore entered
chambers of ever-increasing brilliancy to portray the ascent of the spirit from the lower worlds into
the realms of bliss. As the climax to such wanderings he entered a great vaulted room, in the center of
which stood a brilliantly illumined statue of the goddess Ceres. Here, in the presence of the
hierophant and surrounded by priests in magnificent robes, he was instructed in the highest of the
secret mysteries of the Eleusis. At the conclusion of this ceremony he was hailed as an Epoptes, which
means one who has beheld or seen directly. For this reason also initiation was termed autopsy. The
Epoptes was then given certain sacred books, probably written in cipher, together with tablets of
stone on which secret instructions were engraved.

In The Obelisk in Freemasonry, John A. Weisse describes the officiating personages of the Eleusinian
Mysteries as consisting of a male and a female hierophant who directed the initiations; a male and a
female torchbearer; a male herald; and a male and a female altar attendant. There were also
numerous minor officials. He states that, according to Porphyry, the hierophant represents Plato's
Demiurgus, or Creator of the world; the torch bearer, the Sun; the altar man, the Moon; the herald,
Hermes, or Mercury; and the other officials, minor stars.

From the records available, a number of strange and apparently supernatural phenomena
accompanied the rituals. Many initiates claim to have actually seen the living gods themselves.
Whether this was the result of religious ecstasy or the actual cooperation of invisible powers with the
visible priests must remain a mystery. In The Metamorphosis, or Golden Ass, Apuleius thus describes
what in all probability is his initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries:

"I approached to the confines of death, and having trod on the threshold of Proserpine I, returned
from it, being carried through all the elements. At midnight I saw the sun shining with a splendid
light; and I manifestly drew near to, the gods beneath, and the gods above, and proximately adored
them."

Women and children were admitted to the Eleusinian Mysteries, and at one time there were literally
thousands of initiates. Because this vast host was not prepared for the highest spiritual and mystical
doctrines, a division necessarily took place within the society itself. The higher teachings were given
to only a limited number of initiates who, because of superior mentality, showed a comprehensive
grasp of their underlying philosophical concepts. Socrates refused to be initiated into the Eleusinian
Mysteries, for knowing its principles without being a member of the order he realized that
membership would seal his tongue. That the Mysteries of Eleusis were based upon great and eternal
truths is attested by the veneration in which they were held by the great minds of the ancient world.
M. Ouvaroff asks, "Would Pindar, Plato, Cicero, Epictetus, have spoken of them with such admiration,
if the hierophant had satisfied himself with loudly proclaiming his own opinions, or those of his
order?"

The garments in which candidates were initiated were preserved for many years and were believed to
possess almost sacred properties. Just as the soul can have no covering save wisdom and virtue, so
the candidates—being as yet without true knowledge—were presented to the Mysteries unclothed,
being first: given the skin of an animal and later a consecrated robe to symbolize the philosophical
teachings received by the initiate. During the course of initiation the candidate

CERES, THE PATRON OF THE MYSTERIES.

From a mural painting in Pompeii.

Ceres, or Demeter, was the daughter of Kronos and Rhea, and by Zeus the mother of Persephone. Some beUeve her to be
the goddess of the earth, but more correctly she is the deity protecting agriculture in general and corn in particular. The
Poppy is sacred to Ceres and she is often shown carrying or ornamented by a garland of these flowers. In the Mysteries,
Ceres represented riding in a chariot drawn by winged serpents.

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THE PROCESSIONAL OF THE BACCHIC RITES.

From Ovid's Metamorphosis.

In the initiation, of the Bacchic Mysteries, the role of Bacchus is played by the candidate who, set upon by priests in the
guise of the Titans, is slain and finally restored to life amidst great rejoicing. The Bacchic Mysteries were given every three
years, and like the Eleusinian Mysteries, were divided into two degrees. The initiates were crowned with myrtle and ivy,
plants which were sacred to Bacchus.

In the Anacalypsis, Godfrey Higgins conclusively establishes Bacchus (Dionysos) as one of the early pagan forms of the
Christos myth, "The birthplace of Bacchus, called Sabazius or Sabaoth, was claimed by several places in Greece; but on

Mount Zelmisus, in Thrace, his worship seems to have been chiefly celebrated. He was born of a virgin on the 25th of
December; he performed great miracles for the good of mankind; particularly one in which he changed water into wine;
he rode in a triumphal procession on an ass; he was put to death by the Titans, and rose again from the dead on the 25th
of March: he was always called the Saviour. In his mysteries, he was shown to the people, as an infant is by the Christians
at this day, on Christmas Day morning in Rome."

While Apollo most generally represents the sun, Bacchus is also a form of solar energy, for his resurrection was
accomplished with the assistance of Apollo. The resurrection of Bacchus signifies merely the extraction or
disentanglement of the various Parts of the Bacchic constitution from the Titanic constitution of the world. This is
symbolized by the smoke or soot rising from the burned bodies of the Titans. The soul is symbolized by smoke because it
is extracted by the fire of the Mysteries. Smoke signifies the ascension of the soul, far evolution is the process of the soul
rising, like smoke, from the divinely consumed material mass. At me time the Bacchic Rites were of a high order, but later
they became much degraded . The Bacchanalia, or orgies of Bacchus, are famous in literature.

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passed through two gates. The first led downward into the lower worlds and symbolized his birth into
ignorance. The second led upward into a room brilliantly lighted by unseen lamps, in which was the
statue of Ceres and which symbolized the upper world, or the abode of Light and Truth. Strabo states
that the great temple of Eleusis would hold between twenty and thirty thousand people. The caves
dedicated by Zarathustra also had these two doors, symbolizing the avenues of birth and death.

The following paragraph from Porphyry gives a fairly adequate conception of Eleusinian symbolism:
"God being a luminous principle, residing in the midst of the most subtile fire, he remains for ever
invisible to the eyes of those who do not elevate themselves above material life: on this account, the
sight of transparent bodies, such as crystal, Parian marble, and even ivory, recalls the idea of divine
light; as the sight of gold excites an idea of its purity, for gold cannot he sullied. Some have thought by
a black stone was signified the invisibility of the divine essence. To express supreme reason, the
Divinity was represented under the human form—and beautiful, for God is the source of beauty; of
different ages, and in various attitudes, sitting or upright; of one or the other sex, as a virgin or a
young man, a husband or a bride, that all the shades and gradations might be marked. Every thing
luminous was subsequently attributed to the gods; the sphere, and all that is spherical, to the universe,
to the sun and the moon—sometimes to Fortune and to Hope. The circle, and all circular figures, to
eternity— to the celestial movements; to the circles and zones of the heavens. The section of circles, to
the phases of the moon; and pyramids and obelisks, to the igneous principle, and through that to the
gods of Heaven. A cone expresses the sun, a cylinder the earth; the phallus and triangle (a symbol of
the matrix) designate generation." (From Essay on the Mysteries of Eleusis by M. Ouvaroff.)

The Eleusinian Mysteries, according to Heckethorn, survived all others and did not cease to exist as
an institution until nearly four hundred years after Christ, when they were finally suppressed by
Theodosius (styled the Great), who cruelly destroyed all who did not accept the Christian faith. Of this
greatest of all philosophical institutions Cicero said that it taught men not only how to live but also
how to die.

THE ORPHIC MYSTERIES

Orpheus, the Thracian bard, the great initiator of the Greeks, ceased to be known as a man and was
celebrated as a divinity several centuries before the Christian Era. "As to Orpheus himself * * *, "
writes Thomas Taylor, "scarcely a vestige of his life is to be found amongst the immense ruins of time.
For who has ever been able to affirm any thing with certainty of his origin, his age, his country, and
condition? This alone may be depended on, from general assent, that there formerly lived a person
named Orpheus, who was the founder of theology among the Greeks; the institutor of their lives and
morals; the first of prophets, and the prince of poets; himself the offspring of a Muse; who taught the
Greeks their sacred rites and mysteries, and from whose wisdom, as from a perennial and abundant

fountain, the divine muse of Homer and the sublime theology of Pj^hagoras and Plato flowed." (See
The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus.)

Orpheus was founder of the Grecian mythological system which he used as the medium for the
promulgation of his philosophical doctrines. The origin of his philosophy is uncertain. He may have
got it from the Brahmins, there being legends to the effect that he got it was a Hindu, his name
possibly being derived from opcpaviog, meaning "dark." Orpheus was initiated into the Egyptian
Mysteries, from which he secured extensive knowledge of magic, astrology, sorcery, and medicine.
The Mysteries of the Cabiri at Samothrace were also conferred upon him, and these undoubtedly
contributed to his knowledge of medicine and music.

The romance of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the tragic episodes of Greek mythology and
apparently constitutes the outstanding feature

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of the Orphic Rite. Eurydice, in her attempt to escape from a villain seeking to seduce her, died from
the venom of a poisonous serpent which stung her in the heel. Orpheus, penetrating to the very heart
of the underworld, so charmed Pluto and Persephone with the beauty of his music that they agreed to
permit Eurydice to return to life if Orpheus could lead her back to the sphere of the living without
once looking round to see if she were following. So great was his fear, however, that she would stray
from him that he turned his head, and Eurydice with a heartbroken cry was swept back into the land
of death.

Orpheus wandered the earth for a while disconsolate, and there are several conflicting accounts of the

manner of his death. Some declare that he was slain by a bolt of lightning; others, that failing to save
his beloved Eurydice, he committed suicide. The generally accepted version of his death, however, is
that he was torn to pieces by Ciconian women whose advances he had spurned. In the tenth book of
Plato's Republic it is declared that, because of his sad fate at the hands of women, the soul that had
once been Orpheus, upon being destined to live again in the physical world, chose rather to return in
the body of a swan than be born of woman. The head of Orpheus, after being torn from his body, was
cast with his lyre into the river Hebrus, down which it floated to the sea, where, wedging in a cleft in a
rock, it gave oracles for many years. The lyre, after being stolen from its shrine and working the
destruction of the thief, was picked up by the gods and fashioned into a constellation.

Orpheus has long been sung as the patron of music. On his seven-stringed lyre he played such perfect
harmonies that the gods themselves were moved to acclaim his power. When he touched the strings
of his instrument the birds and beasts gathered about him, and as he wandered through the forests
his enchanting melodies caused even the ancient trees with mighty effort to draw their gnarled roots
from out the earth and follow him. Orpheus is one of the many Immortals who have sacrificed
themselves that mankind might have the wisdom of the gods. By the symbolism of his music he
communicated the divine secrets to humanity, and several authors have declared that the gods,
though loving him, feared that he would overthrow their kingdom and therefore reluctantly
encompassed his destruction.

As time passed on the historical Orpheus became hopelessly confounded with the doctrine he
represented and eventually became the symbol of the Greek school of the ancient wisdom. Thus
Orpheus was declared to be the son of Apollo, the divine and perfect truth, and Calliope, the Muse of
harmony and rhythm. In other words, Orpheus is the secret doctrine (Apollo) revealed through music
(Calliope). Eurydice is humanity dead from the sting of the serpent of false knowledge and
imprisoned in the underworld of ignorance. In this allegory Orpheus signifies theology, which wins
her from the king of the dead but fails to accomplish her resurrection because it falsely estimates and
mistrusts the innate understanding within the human soul. The Ciconian women who tore Orpheus

limb from limb symbolize the various contending theological factions which destroy the body of Truth.
They cannot accomplish this, however, until their discordant cries drown out the harmony drawn by
Orpheus from his magic lyre. The head of Orpheus signifies the esoteric doctrines of his cult. These
doctrines continue to live and speak even after his body (the cult) has been destroyed. The lyre is the
secret teaching of Orpheus; the seven strings are the seven divine truths which are the keys to
universal knowledge. The differing accounts of his death represent the various means used to destroy
the secret teachings: wisdom can die in many ways at the same time. The allegory of Orpheus
incarnating in the white swan merely signifies that the spiritual truths he promulgated will continue
and will be taught by the illumined initiates of all future ages. The swan is the symbol of the initiates
of the Mysteries; it is a symbol also of the divine power which is the progenitor of the world.

THE BACCHIC AND DIONYSIAC RITES

The Bacchic Rite centers around the allegory of the youthful Bacchus (Dionysos or Zagreus) being
torn to pieces by the Titans. These giants accomplished the destruction of Bacchus by causing him to
become fascinated by his own image in a mirror. After dismembering him, the Titans first boiled the
pieces in water and afterwards roasted them. Pallas rescued the heart of the murdered god, and by
this precaution Bacchus (Dionysos) was enabled to spring forth again in all his former glory. Jupiter,
the Demiurgus, beholding the crime of the Titans, hurled his thunderbolts and slew them, burning
their bodies to ashes with heavenly fire. Our of the ashes of the Titans—which also contained a
portion of the flesh of Bacchus, whose body they had partly devoured—the human race was created.
Thus the mundane life of every man was said to contain a portion of the Bacchic life.

For this reason the Greek Mysteries warned against suicide. He who attempts to destroy himself
raises his hand against the nature of Bacchus within him, since man's body is indirectly the tomb of
this god and consequently must be preserved with the greatest care.

Bacchus (Dionysos) represents the rational soul of the inferior world. He is the chief of the Titans—
the artificers of the mundane spheres. The Pythagoreans called him the Titanic monad. Thus Bacchus
is the all-inclusive idea of the Titanic sphere and the Titans— or gods of the fragments— the active
agencies by means of which universal substance is fashioned into the pattern of this idea. The Bacchic
state signifies the unity of the rational soul in a state of self-knowledge, and the Titanic state the
diversity of the rational soul which, being scattered throughout creation, loses the consciousness of its
own essential one-ness. The mirror into which Bacchus gazes and which is the cause of his fall is the
great sea of illusion— the lower world fashioned by the Titans. Bacchus (the mundane rational soul),
seeing his image before him, accepts the image as a likeness of himself and ensouls the likeness; that
is, the rational idea ensouls its reflection— the irrational universe. By ensouling the irrational image it
implants in it the urge to become like its source, the rational image. Therefore the ancients said that
man does not know the gods by logic or by reason but rather by realizing the presence of the gods
within himself.

After Bacchus gazed into the mirror and followed his own reflection into matter, the rational soul of
the world was broken up and distributed by the Titans throughout the mundane sphere of which it is
the essential nature, but the heart, or source, of it they could not: scatter. The Titans took the
dismembered body of Bacchus and boiled it in water— symbol of immersion in the material universe—
which represents the incorporation of the Bacchic principle in form. The pieces were afterwards
roasted to signify the subsequent ascension of the spiritual nature out of form.

When Jupiter, the father of Bacchus and the Demiurgus of the universe, saw that the Titans were
hopelessly involving the rational or divine idea by scattering its members through the constituent
parts of the lower world, he slew the Titans in order that the divine idea might not be entirely lost.
From the ashes of the Titans he formed mankind, whose purpose of existence was to preserve and
eventually to release the Bacchic idea, or rational soul, from the Titanic fabrication. Jupiter, being the

Demiurgus and fabricator of the material universe, is the third person of the Creative Triad,

consequently the Lord of Death, for death exists only in the lower sphere of being over which he
presides. Disintegration takes place so that reintegration may follow upon a higher level of form or
intelligence. The thunderbolts of Jupiter are emblematic of his disintegrative power; they reveal the
purpose of death, which is to rescue the rational soul from the devouring power of the irrational
nature.

Man is a composite creature, his lower nature consisting of the fragments of the Titans and his higher
nature the sacred, immortal flesh (life) of Bacchus. Therefore man is capable of either a Titanic
(irrational) or a Bacchic (rational) existence. The Titans of Hesiod, who were twelve in number, are
probably analogous to the celestial zodiac, whereas the Titans who murdered and dismembered
Bacchus represent the zodiacal powers distorted by their involvement in the material world. Thus
Bacchus represents the sun who is dismembered by the signs of the zodiac and from whose body the
universe is formed. When the terrestrial forms were created from the various parts of his body the
sense of wholeness was lost and the sense of separateness established. The heart of Bacchus, which
was saved by Pallas, or Minerva, was lifted out of the four elements symbolized by his dismembered
body and placed in the ether. The heart of Bacchus is the immortal center of the rational soul.

After the rational soul had been distributed throughout creation and the nature of man, the Bacchic
Mysteries were instituted for the purpose of disentangling it from the irrational Titanic nature. This
disentanglement was the process of lifting the soul out of the state of separateness into that of unity.
The various parts and members of Bacchus were collected from the different corners of the earth.
When all the rational parts are gathered Bacchus is resurrected.

The Rites of Dionysos were very similar to those of Bacchus, and by many these two gods are
considered as one. Statues of Dionysos were carried in the Eleusinian Mysteries, especially the lesser
degrees. Bacchus, representing the soul of the mundane sphere, was capable of an infinite multiplicity
of form and designations. Dionysos apparently was his solar aspect.

The Dionysiac Architects constituted an ancient secret society, in principles and doctrines much like
the modern Freemasonic Order. They were an organization of builders bound together by their secret
knowledge of the relationship between the earthly and the divine sciences of architectonics. They
were supposedly employed by King Solomon in the building of his Temple, although they were not
Jews, nor did they worship the God of the Jews, being followers of Bacchus and Dionysos. The
Dionysiac Architects erected many of the great monuments of antiquity. They possessed a secret
language and a system of marking their stones. They had annual convocations and sacred feasts. The
exact nature of their doctrines is unknown. It is believed that CHiram Abiff was an initiate of this
society.

Atlantis and the Gods of Antiquity

p. 33

ATLANTIS is the subject of a short but important article appearing in the Annual Report of the Board
of Regents of The Smithsonian Institution for the year ending June 30th, 1915. The author, M. Pierre
Termier, a member of the Academy of Sciences and Director of Service of the Geologic Chart of
France, in 1912 delivered a lecture on the Atlantean hypothesis before the Institut Oceanographique;
it is the translated notes of this remarkable lecture that are published in the Smithsonian report.

"After a long period of disdainful indifference," writes M. Termier, "observe how^ in the last few years
science is returning to the study of Atlantis. How many naturalists, geologists, zoologists, or botanists
are asking one another today whether Plato has not transmitted to us, with slight amplification, a
page from the actual history of mankind. No affirmation is yet permissible; but it seems more and
more evident that a vast region, continental or made up of great islands, has collapsed west of the
Pillars of Hercules, otherwise called the Strait of Gibraltar, and that its collapse occurred in the not
far distant past. In any event, the question of Atlantis is placed anew before men of science; and since
I do not believe that it can ever be solved without the aid of oceanography, I have thought it natural to
discuss it here, in this temple of maritime science, and to call to such a problem, long scorned but
now being revived, the attention of oceanographers, as well as the attention of those who, though
immersed in the tumult of cities, lend an ear to the distant murmur of the sea."

In his lecture M. Termier presents geologic, geographic, and zoologic data in substantiation of the
Atlantis theory. Figuratively draining the entire bed of the Atlantic Ocean, he considers the
inequalities of its basin and cites locations on a line from the Azores to Iceland where dredging has
brought lava to the surface from a depth of 3,000 meters. The volcanic nature of the islands now
existing in the Atlantic Ocean corroborates Plato's statement that the Atlantean continent was
destroyed by volcanic cataclysms. M. Termier also advances the conclusions of a young French
zoologist, M. Louis Germain, who admitted the existence of an Atlantic continent connected with the
Iberian Peninsula and with Mauritania and prolonged toward the south so as to include some regions
of desert climate. M. Termier concludes his lecture with a graphic picture of the engulfment of that
continent.

The description of the Atlantean civilization given by Plato in the Critias may be summarized as
follows. In the first ages the gods divided the earth among themselves, proportioning it according to
their respective dignities. Each became the peculiar deity of his ovm allotment and established
therein temples to himself, ordained a priestcraft, and instituted a system of sacrifice. To Poseidon
was given the sea and the island continent of Atlantis. In the midst of the island was a mountain
which was the dwelling place of three earth-born primitive human beings—Evenor; his wife, Leucipe;
and their only daughter, Cleito. The maiden was very beautiful, and after the sudden death of her
parents she was wooed by Poseidon, who begat by her five pairs of male children. Poseidon
apportioned his continent among these ten, and Atlas, the eldest, he made overlord of the other nine.
Poseidon further called the country Atlantis and the surrounding sea the Atlantic in honor of Atlas.
Before the birth of his ten sons, Poseidon divided the continent and the coastwise sea into concentric
zones of land and water, which were as perfect as though turned upon a lathe. Two zones of land and
three of water surrounded the central island, which Poseidon caused to be irrigated with two springs
of water—one warm and the other cold.

The descendants of Atlas continued as rulers of Atlantis, and with wise government and industry
elevated the country to a position of surpassing dignity. The natural resources of Atlantis were
apparently limitless. Precious metals were mined, wild animals domesticated, and perfumes distilled
from its fragrant flowers. While enjoying the abundance natural to their semitropic location, the

Atlanteans employed themselves also in the erection of palaces, temples, and docks. They bridged the

zones of sea and later dug a deep canal to connect the outer ocean with the central island, where stood
the palaces And temple of Poseidon, which excelled all other structures in magnificence. A network of
bridges and canals was created by the Atlanteans to unite the various parts of their kingdom.

Plato then describes the white, black, and red stones which they quarried from beneath their
continent and used in the construction of public buildings and docks. They circumscribed each of the
land zones with a wall, the outer wall being covered with brass, the middle with tin, and the inner,
which encompassed the citadel, with orichalch. The citadel, on the central island, contained the pal
aces, temples, and other public buildings. In its center, surrounded by a wall of gold, was a sanctuary
dedicated to Cleito and Poseidon. Here the first ten princes of the island were born and here each year
their descendants brought offerings. Poseidon's own temple, its exterior entirely covered with silver
and its pinnacles with gold, also stood within the citadel. The interior of the temple was of ivory, gold,
silver, and orichalch, even to the pillars and floor. The temple contained a colossal statue of Poseidon
standing in a chariot drawn by six winged horses, about him a hundred Nereids riding on dolphins.
Arranged outside the building were golden statues of the first ten kings and their wives.

In the groves and gardens were hot and cold springs. There were numerous temples to various deities,
places of exercise for men and for beasts, public baths, and a great race course for horses. At various
vantage points on the zones were fortifications, and to the great harbor came vessels from every
maritime nation. The zones were so thickly populated that the sound of human voices was ever in the
air.

That part of Atlantis facing the sea was described as lofty and precipitous, but about the central city
was a plain sheltered by mountains renowned for their size, number, and beauty. The plain yielded
two crops each year,, in the winter being watered by rains and in the summer by immense irrigation
canals, which were also used for transportation. The plain was divided into sections, and in time of
war each section supplied its quota of fighting men and chariots.

The ten governments differed from each other in details concerning military requirements. Each of
the kings of Atlantis had complete control over his own kingdom, but their mutual relationships were
governed by a code engraved by the first ten kings on a column' of orichalch standing in the temple of
Poseidon. At alternate intervals of five and six years a pilgrimage was made to this temple that equal
honor might be conferred upon both the odd and the even numbers. Here, with appropriate sacrifice,
each king renewed his

THE SCHEME OF THE UNIVERSE ACCORDING TO THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.

From Cartari's Imagini degli Dei degli Antichi.

By ascending successively through the fiery sphere of Hades, the spheres of water, Earth, and air, and the heavens of the
moon, the plane of Mercury is reached. Above Mercury are the planes of Venus, the sun. Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, the
latter containing the symbols of the Zodiacal constellations. Above the arch of the heavens (Saturn) is the dwelling Place
of the different powers controlling the universe. The supreme council of the gods is composed of twelve deities—six male
and six female—which correspond to the positive and negative signs of the zodiac. The six gods are Jupiter, Vulcan, Apollo,
Mars, Neptune, and Mercury; the six goddesses are Juno, Ceres, Vesta, Minerva, Venus, and Diana. Jupiter rides his eagle
as the symbol of his sovereignty over the world, and Juno is seated upon a peacock, the proper symbol of her haughtiness
and glory.

P- 34

oath of loyalty upon the sacred inscription. Here also the kings donned azure robes and sat in
judgment. At daybreak they v^rote their sentences upon a golden tablet: and deposited them with
their robes as memorials. The chief laws of the Atlantean kings were that they should not take up
arms against each other and that they should come to the assistance of any of their number who was
attacked. In matters of war and great moment the final decision was in the hands of the direct
descendants of the family of Atlas. No king had the power of life and death over his kinsmen without
the assent of a majority of the ten.

Plato concludes his description by declaring that it was this great empire which attacked the Hellenic

states. This did not occur, however, until their power and glory had lured the Atlantean kings from
the pathway of wisdom and virtue. Filled with false ambition, the rulers of Atlantis determined to
conquer the entire world. Zeus, perceiving the wickedness of the Atlanteans, gathered the gods into
his holy habitation and addressed them. Here Plato's narrative comes to an abrupt end, for the Critias
was never finished. In the Timgeus is a further description of Atlantis, supposedly given to Solon by an
Egyptian priest and which concludes as follows:

"But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of rain
all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner
disappeared, and was sunk beneath the sea. And that is the reason why the sea in those parts is
impassable and impenetrable, because there is such a quantity of shallow mud in the way; and this
was caused by the subsidence of the island."

In the introduction to his translation of the Timgeus, Thomas Taylor quotes from a History of
Ethiopia written by Marcellus, which contains the following reference to Atlantis: "For they relate
that in their time there were seven islands in the Atlantic sea, sacred to Proserpine; and besides these,
three others of an immense magnitude; one of which was sacred to Pluto, another to Ammon, and
another, which is the middle of these, and is of a thousand stadia, to Neptune." Grantor, commenting
upon Plato, asserted that the Egyptian priests declared the story of Atlantis to be written upon pillars
which were still preserved circa 300 B.C. (See Beginnings or Glimpses of Vanished Civilizations.)
Ignatius Donnelly, who gave the subject of Atlantis profound study, believed that horses were first
domesticated by the Atlanteans, for which reason they have always been considered peculiarly sacred
to Poseidon. {See Atlantis.)

From a careful consideration of Plato's description of Atlantis it is evident that the story should not be

regarded as wholly historical but rather as both allegorical and historical. Origen, Porphyry, Proclus,
lamblichus, and Syrianus realized that the story concealed a profound philosophical mystery, but
they disagreed as to the actual interpretation. Plato's Atlantis symbolizes the threefold nature of both
the universe and the human body. The ten kings of Atlantis are the tetractys, or numbers, which are
born as five pairs of opposites. (Consult Theon of Smyrna for the Pythagorean doctrine of opposites.)
The numbers 1 to 10 rule every creature, and the numbers, in turn, are under the control of the
Monad, or i~the Eldest among them.

With the trident scepter of Poseidon these kings held sway over the inhabitants of the seven small and
three great islands comprising Atlantis. Philosophically, the ten islands symbolize the triune powers
of the Superior Deity and the seven regents who bow before His eternal throne. If Atlantis be
considered as the archetypal sphere, then its immersion signifies the descent of rational, organized
consciousness into the illusionary, impermanent realm of irrational, mortal ignorance. Both the
sinking of Atlantis and the Biblical story of the "fall of man" signify spiritual involution—a
prerequisite to conscious evolution.

Either the initiated Plato used the Atlantis allegory to achieve two widely different ends or else the
accounts preserved by the Egyptian priests were tampered with to perpetuate the secret doctrine.
This does not mean to imply that Atlantis is purely mythological, but it overcomes the most serious
obstacle to acceptance of the Atlantis theory, namely, the fantastic accounts of its origin, size,
appearance, and date of destruction~96oo B.C. In the midst of the central island of Atlantis was a
lofty mountain which cast a shadow five thousand stadia in extent and whose summit touched the
sphere of aether. This is the axle mountain of the world, sacred among many races and symbolic of the
human head, which rises out of the four elements of the body. This sacred mountain, upon whose
summit stood the temple of the gods, gave rise to the stories of Olympus, Meru, and Asgard. The City
of the Golden Gates—the capital of Atlantis— is the one now preserved among numerous religions as

the City of the Gods or the Holy City. Here is the archetype of the New Jerusalem, with its streets
paved with gold and its twelve gates shining with precious stones.

"The history of Atlantis," writes Ignatius Donnelly, "is the key of the Greek mythology. There can be
no question that these gods of Greece were human beings. The tendency to attach divine attributes to
great earthly rulers is one deeply implanted in human nature." (See Atlantis.)

The same author sustains his views by noting that the deities of the Greek pantheon were nor looked
upon as creators of the universe but rather as regents set over it by its more ancient original
fabricators. The Garden of Eden from which humanity was driven by a flaming sword is perhaps an
allusion to the earthly paradise supposedly located west of the Pillars of Hercules and destroyed by
volcanic cataclysms. The Deluge legend may be traced also to the Atlantean inundation, during which
a "world" was destroyed by water..

Was the religious, philosophic, and scientific knowledge possessed by the priestcrafts of antiquity
secured from Atlantis, whose submergence obliterated every vestige of its part in the drama of world
progress? Atlantean sun worship has been perpetuated in the ritualism and ceremonialism of both
Christianity and pagandom. Both the cross and the serpent were Atlantean emblems of divine
wisdom. The divine (Atlantean) progenitors of the Mayas and Quiches of Central America coexisted
within the green and azure radiance of Gucumatz, the "plumed" serpent. The six sky-born sages came
into manifestation as centers of light bound together or synthesized by the seventh—and chief —of
their order, the "feathered" snake. (See the Popol Vuh.) The title of "winged" or "plumed" snake was
applied to Quetzalcoatl, or Kukulcan, the Central American initiate. The center of the Atlantean
Wisdom-Religion was presumably a great pyramidal temple standing on the brow of a plateau rising
in the midst of the City of the Golden Gates. From here the Initiate-Priests of the Sacred Feather went
forth, carrying the keys of Universal Wisdom to the uttermost parts of the earth.

The mythologies of many nations contain accounts of gods who "came out of the sea." Certain
shamans among the American Indians tell of holy men dressed in birds' feathers and wampum who
rose out of the blue waters and instructed them in the arts and crafts. Among the legends of the
Chaldeans is that of Cannes, a partly amphibious creature who came out of the sea and taught the
savage peoples along the shore to read and write, till the soil, cultivate herbs for healing, study the
stars, establish rational forms of government, and become conversant with the sacred Mysteries.
Among the Mayas, Quetzalcoatl, the Savior-God (whom some Christian scholars believe to have been
St. Thomas), issued from the waters and, after instructing the people in the essentials of civilization,
rode out to sea on a magic raft of serpents to escape the wrath of the fierce god of the Fiery Mirror,
Tezcatlipoca.

May it not have been that these demigods of a fabulous age who, Esdras-like, came out of the sea were
Atlantean priests? All that primitive man remembered of the Atlanteans was the glory of their golden
ornaments, the transcendency of their wisdom, and the sanctity of their symbols—the cross and the
serpent. That they came in ships was soon forgotten, for untutored minds considered even boats as
supernatural. Wherever the Atlanteans proselyted they erected pyramids and temples patterned after
the great sanctuary in the City of the Golden Gates. Such is the origin of the pyramids of Egypt,
Mexico, and Central America. The mounds in Normandy and Britain, as well as those of the American
Indians, are remnants of a similar culture. In the midst of the Atlantean program of world
colonization and conversion, the cataclysms which sank Atlantis began. The Initiate-Priests of the
Sacred Feather who promised to come back to their missionary settlements never returned; and after
the lapse of centuries tradition preserved only a fantastic account of gods who came from a place
where the sea now is.

H. P. Blavatsky thus sums up the causes which precipitated the Atlantean disaster: "Under the evil
insinuations of their demon, Thevetat, the Atlantis-race became a nation of wicked magicians. In

consequence of this, war was declared, the story of which would be too long to narrate; its substance
maybe found in the disfigured allegories of the race of Cain, the giants, and that of Noah and his
righteous family. The conflict came to an end by the submersion of the Atlantis; which finds its
imitation in the stories of the Babylonian and Mosaic flood: The giants and magicians '* * * and all
flesh died * * * and every man.' All except Xisuthrus and Noah, who are substantially identical with
the great Father of the Thlinkithians in the Popol Vuh, or the sacred book of the Guatemaleans, which
also tells of his escaping in a large boat, like the Hindu Noah—Vaiswasvata. " (See Isis Unveiled.)

From the Atlanteans the world has received not only the heritage of arts and crafts, philosophies and
sciences, ethics and religions, but also the heritage of hate, strife, and perversion. The Atlanteans
instigated the first war; and it has been said that all subsequent wars were fought in a fruitless effort
to justify the first one and right the wrong which it caused. Before Atlantis sank, its spiritually
illumined Initiates, who realized that their land was doomed because it had departed from the Path of
Light, withdrew from the ill-fated continent. Carrying with them the sacred and secret doctrine, these
Atlanteans

P- 35

established themselves in Egypt, where they became its first "divine" rulers. Nearly all the great
cosmologic myths forming the foundation of the various sacred books of the world are based upon the
Atlantean Mystery rituals.

THE MYTH OF THE DYING GOD

The mjith of Tammuz and Ishtar is one of the earliest examples of the dying-god allegory, probably
antedating 4000 B. C. (See Babylonia and Assyria by Lewis Spence.) The imperfect condition of the
tablets upon which the legends are inscribed makes it impossible to secure more than a fragmentary
account of the Tammuz rites. Being the esoteric god of the sun, Tammuz did not occupy a position
among the first deities venerated by the Babylonians, who for lack of deeper knowledge looked upon
him as a god of agriculture or a vegetation spirit. Originally he was described as being one of the
guardians of the gates of the underworld. Like many other Savior-Gods, he is referred to as a
"shepherd" or "the lord of the shepherd seat." Tammuz occupies the remarkable position of son and
husband of Ishtar, the Babylonian and Assyrian Mother-goddess. Ishtar~to whom the planer Venus
was sacred—was the most widely venerated deity of the Babylonian and Assyrian pantheon. She was
probably identical with Ashterorh, Astarte, and Aphrodite. The story of her descent into the
underworld in search presumably for the sacred elixir which alone could restore Tammuz to life is the
key to the ritual of her Mysteries. Tammuz, whose annual festival took place just before the summer
solstice, died in midsummer in the ancient month which bore his name, and was mourned with
elaborate ceremonies. The manner of his death is unknown, but some of the accusations made against
Ishtar by Izdubar (Nimrod) would indicate that she, indirectly at least, had contributed to his demise.
The resurrection of Tammuz was the occasion of great rejoicing, at which time he was hailed as a
"redeemer" of his people.

With outspread wings, Ishtar, the daughter of Sin (the Moon), sweeps downward to the gates of death.
The house of darkness—the dwelling of the god Irkalla— is described as "the place of no return." It is
without light; the nourishment of those who dwell therein is dust and their food is mud. Over the
bolts on the door of the house of Irkalla is scattered dust, and the keepers of the house are covered
with feathers like birds. Ishtar demands that the keepers open the gates, declaring that if they do not
she will shatter the doorposts and strike the hinges and raise up dead devourers of the living. The
guardians of the gates beg her to be patient while they go to the queen of Hades from whom they
secure permission to admit Ishtar, but only in the same manner as all others came to this dreary
house. Ishtar thereupon descends through the seven gates which lead downward into the depths of
the underworld. At the first gate the great crown is removed from her head, at the second gate the

earrings from her ears, at the third gate the necklace from her neck, at the fourth gate the ornaments
from her breast, at the fifth gate the girdle from her waist, at the sixth gate the bracelets from her
hands and feet, and at the seventh gate the covering cloak of her body. Ishtar remonstrates as each
successive article of apparel is taken from her, bur the guardian tells her that this is the experience of
all who enter the somber domain of death. Enraged upon beholding Ishtar, the Mistress of Hades
inflicts upon her all manner of disease and imprisons her in the underworld.

As Ishtar represents the spirit of fertility, her loss prevents the ripening of the crops and the maturing
of all life upon the earth.

In this respect the story parallels the legend of Persephone. The gods, realizing that the loss of Ishtar
is disorganizing all Nature, send a messenger to the underworld and demand her release. The
Mistress of Hades is forced to comply, and the water of life is poured over Ishtar. Thus cured of the
infirmities inflicted on her, she retraces her way upward through the seven gates, at each of which she
is reinvested with the article of apparel which the guardians had removed. (See The Chaldean
Account of Genesis.) No record exists that Ishtar secured the water of life which would have wrought
the resurrection of Tammuz.

The myth of Ishtar symbolizes the descent of the human spirit through the seven worlds, or spheres of
the sacred planets, until finally, deprived of its spiritual adornments, it incarnates in the physical
body~Hades~where the mistress of that body heaps every form of sorrow and misery upon the
imprisoned consciousness. The waters of life—the secret doctrine—cure the diseases of ignorance; and
the spirit, ascending again to its divine source, regains its God-given adornments as it passes upward
through the rings of the planets.

Another Mystery ritual among the Babylonians and Assyrians was that of Merodach and the Dragon.

Merodach, the creator of the inferior universe, slays a horrible monster and out of her body forms the
universe. Here is the probable source of the so-called Christian allegory of St. George and the Dragon.

The Mysteries of Adonis, or Adoni, were celebrated annually in many parts of Egypt, Phcenicia, and
Biblos. The name Adonis, or Adoni, means "Lord" and was a designation applied to the sun and later
borrowed by the Jews as the exoteric name of their God. Smyrna, mother of Adonis, was turned into a
tree by the gods and after a time the bark burst open and the infant Savior issued forth. According to
one account, he was liberated by a wild boar which split the wood of the maternal tree with its tusks.
Adonis was born at midnight of the 24th of December, and through his unhappy death a Mystery rite
was established that wrought the salvation of his people. In the Jewish month of Tammuz (another
name for this deity) he was gored to death by a wild boar sent by the god Ars (Mars). The Adoniasmos
was the ceremony of lamenting the premature death of the murdered god.

In Ezekiel viii. 14, it is written that women were weeping for Tammuz (Adonis) at the north gate of the
Lord's House in Jerusalem. Sir James George Frazer cites Jerome thus: "He tells us that Bethlehem,
the traditionary birthplace of the Lord, was shaded by a grove of that still older Syrian Lord, Adonis,
and that where the infant Jesus had wept, the lover of Venus was bewailed." (See The Golden Bough.)
The effigy of a wild boar is said to have been set over one of the gates of Jerusalem in honor of Adonis,
and his rites celebrated in the grotto of the Nativity at Bethlehem. Adonis as the "gored" (or "god")
man is one of the keys to Sir Francis Bacon's use of the "wild boar" in his cryptic symbolism.

Adonis was originally an androgynous deity who represented the solar power which in the winter was
destroyed by the evil principle of cold— the boar. After three days (months) in the tomb, Adonis rose
triumphant on the 25th day of March, amidst the acclamation of his priests and followers, "He is
risen!" Adonis was born out of a myrrh tree. Myrrh, the symbol of death because of its connection
with the process of embalming, was one of the gifts brought by the three Magi to the manger of Jesus.

In the Mysteries of Adonis the neophyte passed through the symboUc death of the god and, "raised"
by the priests, entered into the blessed state of redemption made possible by the sufferings of Adonis.
Nearly all authors believe Adonis to have been originally a vegetation god directly connected with the
growth and maturing of flowers

From Kircher's CEdipusMgyptiacus.

The great Pan was celebrated as the author and director of the sacred dances which he is supposed to have instituted to
symboUze the circumambulations of the heavenly bodies. Pan was a composite creature, the upper part —with the
exception of his horns—being human, and the lower part in the form of a goat. Pan is the prototype of natural energy and,
while undoubtedly a phallic deity, should nor be confused with Priapus. The pipes of Pan signify the natural harmony of
the spheres, and the god himself is a symbol of Saturn because this planet is enthroned in Capricorn, whose emblem is a
goat. The Eg)T)tians were initiated into the Mysteries of Pan, who was regarded as a phase of Jupiter, the Demiurgus. Pan
represented the impregnating power of the sun and was the chief of a horde rustic deities, and satyrs. He also signified the
controlling spirit of the lower worlds. The fabricated a story to the effect that at the time of the birth of Christ the oracles
were silenced after giving utterance to one last cry, "Great Pan is dead!"

p- 36

and fruits. In support of this viewpoint they describe the "gardens of Adonis, " which were small
baskets of earth in which seeds were planted and nurtured for a period of eight days. When those
plants prematurely died for lack of sufficient earth, they were considered emblematic of the murdered
Adonis and were usually cast into the sea with images of the god.

In Phrygia there existed a remarkable school of religious philosophy which centered around the life
and untimely fate of another Savior-God known as Atys, or Attis, by many considered synonymous

with Adonis. This deity was born at midnight on the 24th day of December. Of his death there are two

accounts. In one he was gored to death like Adonis; in the other he emasculated himself under a pine
tree and there died. His body was taken to a cave by the Great Mother (Cybele), where it remained
through the ages without decaying. To the rites of Atys the modern world is indebted for the
symbolism of the Christmas tree. Atys imparted his immortality to the tree beneath which he died,
and Cybele took the tree with her when she removed the body. Atys remained three days in the tomb,
rose upon a date corresponding with Easter morn, and by this resurrection overcame death for all
who were initiated into his Mysteries.

"In the Mysteries of the Phrygians, "says Julius Firmicus, "which are called those of the MOTHER OF
THE GODS, every year a PINE TREE is cut down and in the inside of the tree the image of a YOUTH
is tied in! In the Mysteries of Isis the trunk of a PINE TREE is cut: the middle of the trunk is nicely
hollowed out; the idol of Osiris made from those hollowed pieces is BURIED. In the Mysteries of
Proserpine a tree cut is put together into the effigy and form of the VIRGIN, and when it has been
carried within the city it is MOURNED 40 nights, but the fortieth night it is BURNED!" (See Sod, the
Mysteries ofAdoni.)

The Mysteries of Atys included a sacramental meal during which the neophyte ate out of a drum and
drank from a cymbal. After being baptized by the blood of a bull, the new initiate was fed entirely on
milk to symbolize that he was still a philosophical infant, having but recently been born out of the
sphere of materiality. (See Frazer's The Golden Bough.) Is there a possible connection between this
lacteal diet prescribed by the Attic rite and St. Paul's allusion to the food for spiritual babes? Sallust
gives a key to the esoteric interpretation of the Attic rituals. Cybele, the Great Mother, signifies the
vivifying powers of the universe, and Atys that aspect of the spiritual intellect which is suspended
between the divine and animal spheres. The Mother of the gods, loving Atys, gave him a starry hat,
signifying celestial powers, but Atys (mankind), falling in love with a nymph (symbolic of the lower
animal propensities), forfeited his divinity and lost his creative powers. It is thus evident that Atys
represents the human consciousness and that his Mysteries are concerned with the reattainment of
the starry hat. (See Sallust on the Gods and the World.)

The rites of Sabazius were very similar to those of Bacchus and it is generally believed that the two
deities are identical. Bacchus was born at Sabazius, or Sabaoth, and these names are frequently
assigned to him. The Sabazian Mysteries were performed at night, and the ritual included the drawing
of a live snake across the breast of the candidate. Clement of Alexandria writes: "The token of the
Sabazian Mysteries to the initiated is 'the deity gliding over the breast.'" A golden serpent was the
symbol of Sabazius because this deity represented the annual renovation of the world by the solar
power. The Jews borrowed the name Sabaoth from these Mysteries and adopted it as one of the
appellations of their supreme God. During the time the Sabazian Mysteries were celebrated in Rome,
the cult gained many votaries and later influenced the symbolism of Christianity.

The Cabiric Mysteries of Samothrace were renowned among the ancients, being next to the
Eleusinian in public esteem. Herodotus declares that the Samothracians received their doctrines,
especially those concerning Mercury, from the Pelasgians. Little is known concerning the Cabiric
rituals, for they were enshrouded in the profoundest secrecy. Some regard the Cabiri as seven in
number and refer to them as "the Seven Spirits of fire before the throne of Saturn." Others believe the
Cabiri to be the seven sacred wanderers, later called the planets.

While a vast number of deities are associated with the Samothracian Mysteries, the ritualistic drama
centers around four brothers. The first three—Aschieros, Achiochersus, and Achiochersa—attack and
murder the fourth—Cashmala (or Cadmillus). Dionysidorus, however, identifies Aschieros with
Demeter, Achiochersus with Pluto, Achiochersa with Persephone, and Cashmala with Hermes.
Alexander Wilder notes that in the Samothracian ritual "Cadmillus is made to include the Theban
Serpent-god, Cadmus, the Thoth of Egypt, the Hermes of the Greeks, and the Emeph or ^sculapius

of the Alexandrians and Phoenicians. " Here again is a repetition of the story of Osiris, Bacchus,
Adonis, Balder, and Hiram Abiff. The worship of Atys and Cybele was also involved in the
Samothracian Mysteries. In the rituals of the Cabiri is to be traced a form of pine-tree worship, for
this tree, sacred to Atys, was first trimmed into the form of a cross and then cut down in honor of the
murdered god whose body was discovered at its foot.

"If you wish to inspect the orgies of the Corybantes, " writes Clement, "Then know that, having killed
their third brother, they covered the head of the dead body with a purple cloth, crowned it, and
carrying it on the point of a spear, buried it under the roots of Olympus. These mysteries are, in short,
murders and funerals. [This ante-Nicene Father in his efforts to defame the pagan rites apparently
ignores the fact that, like the Cabirian martyr, Jesus Christ was foully betrayed, tortured, and finally
murdered!] And the priests Of these rites, who are called kings of the sacred rites by those whose
business it is to name them, give additional strangeness to the tragic occurrence, by forbidding
parsley with the roots from being placed on the table, for they think that parsley grew from the
Corybantic blood that flowed forth; just as the women, in celebrating the Thcsmophoria, abstain from
eating the seeds of the pomegranate, which have fallen on the ground, from the idea that
pomegranates sprang from the drops of the blood of Dionysus. Those Corybantes also they call
Cabiric; and the ceremony itself they announce as the Cabiric mystery."

The Mysteries of the Cabiri were divided into three degrees, the first of which celebrated the death of
Cashmala, at the hands of his three brothers; the second, the discovery of his mutilated body, the
parts of which had been found and gathered after much labor; and the third—accompanied by great
rejoicing and happiness— his resurrection and the consequent salvation of the world. The temple of
the Cabiri at Samothrace contained a number of curious divinities, many of them misshapen
creatures representing the elemental powers of Nature, possibly the Bacchic Titans. Children were
initiated into the Cabirian cult with the same dignity as adults, and criminals who reached the
sanctuary were safe from pursuit. The Samothracian rites were particularly concerned with
navigation, the Dioscuri— Castor and Pollux, or the gods of navigation— being among those propitiated
by members of that cult. The Argonautic expedition, listening to the advice of Orpheus, stopped at the
island of Samothrace for the purpose of having its members initiated into the Cabiric rites.

Herodotus relates that when Cambyses entered the temple of the Cabiri he was unable to restrain his
mirth at seeing before him the figure of a man standing upright and, facing the man, the figure of a
woman standing on her head. Had Cambyses been acquainted with the principles of divine
astronomy, he would have realized that he was then in the presence of the key to universal
equilibrium. "T ask,' says Voltaire, 'who were these Hierophants, these sacred Freemasons, who
celebrated their Ancient Mysteries of Samothracia, and whence came they and their gods Cabiri?'"
(See Mackey's Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry.) Clement speaks of the Mysteries of the Cabiri as "the
sacred Mystery of a brother slain by his brethren," and the "Cabiric death" was one of the secret
symbols of antiquity. Thus the allegory of the Self murdered by the not-self is perpetuated through
the religious mysticism of all peoples. The philosophic death and the philosophic resurrection are the
Lesser and the Greater Mysteries respectively.

A curious aspect of the dying-god myth is that of the Hanged Man. The most important example of
this peculiar conception is found in the Odinic rituals where Odin hangs himself for nine nights from
the branches of the World Tree and upon the same occasion also pierces his own side with the sacred
spear. As the result of this great sacrifice, Odin, while suspended over the depths of Nifl-heim,
discovered by meditation the runes or alphabets by which later the records of his people were
preserved. Because of this remarkable experience, Odin is sometimes shown seated on a gallows tree
and he became the patron deity of all who died by the noose. Esoterically, the Hanged Man is the
human spirit which is suspended from heaven by a single thread. Wisdom, not death, is the reward
for this voluntary sacrifice during which the human soul, suspended above the world of illusion, and
meditating upon its unreality, is rewarded by the achievement of self-realization.

From a consideration of all these ancient and secret rituals it becomes evident that the mystery of the
dying god was universal among the illumined and venerated colleges of the sacred teaching. This
mystery has been perpetuated in Christianity in the crucifixion and death of the God-man-Jesus the
Christ. The secret import of this world tragedy and the Universal Martyr must be rediscovered if
Christianity is to reach the heights attained by the pagans in the days of their philosophic supremacy.
The myth of the dying god is the key to both universal and individual redemption and regeneration,
and those who do not comprehend the true nature of this supreme allegory are not privileged to
consider themselves either wise or truly religious.

P- 37

The Life and Teachings of Thoth Hermes

Trismegistus

THUNDER rolled, lightning flashed, the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom. The
venerable initiator, in his robes of blue and gold, slowly raised his jeweled wand and pointed with it
into the darkness revealed by the tearing of the silken curtain: "Behold the Light of Egypt! " The
candidate, in his plain white robe, gazed into the utter blackness framed by the two great Lotus-
headed columns between which the veil had hung. As he watched, a luminous haze distributed itself
throughout the atmosphere until the air was a mass of shining particles. The face of the neophyte
was illumined by the soft glow as he scanned the shimmering cloud for some tangible object. The
initiator spoke again: "This Light which ye behold is the secret luminance of the Mysteries. Whence
it comes none knoweth, save the 'Master of the Light. ' Behold Him!" Suddenly, through the gleaming
mist a figure appeared, surrounded by a flickering greenish sheen. The initiator lowered his wand
and, bowing his head, placed one hand edgewise against his breast in humble salutation. The
neophyte stepped back in awe, partly blinded by the glory of the revealed figure. Gaining courage,
the youth gazed again at the Divine One. The Form before him was considerably larger than that of
a mortal man. The body seemed partly transparent so that the heart and brain could be seen
pulsating and radiant. As the candidate watched, the heart changed into an ibis, and the brain into
a fiashing emerald. In Its hand this mysterious Being bore a winged rod, entwined with serpents.
The aged initiator, raising his wand, cried out in a loud voice: "All hail Thee, Thoth Hermes, Thrice
Greatest; all hail Thee, Prince of Men; all hail Thee who standeth upon the head ofTyphon!"At the
same instant a lurid writhing dragon appeared— a hideous monster, part serpent, part crocodile,
and part hog. From its mouth and nostrils poured sheets offiame and horrible sounds echoed
through the vaulted chambers. Suddenly Hermes struck the advancing reptile with the serpent-
wound staff and with snarling cry the dragon fell over upon its side, while the fiames about it
slowly died away. Hermes placed His foot upon the skull of the vanquished Typhon. The next
instant, with a blaze of unbearable glory that sent the neophyte staggering backward against a
pillar, the immortal Hermes, followed by streamers of greenish mist, passed through the chamber
and faded into nothingness.

SUPPOSITIONS CONCERNING THE IDENTITY OF HERMES

lamblichus averred that Hermes was the author of twenty thousand books; Manetho increased the
number to more than thirty-six thousand (see James Gardner) —figures which make it evident that a
soHtary individual, even though he be overshadowed by divine prerogative, could scarcely have
accomplished such a monumental labor. Among the arts and sciences which it is affirmed Hermes
revealed to mankind were medicine, chemistry, law, arc, astrology, music, rhetoric. Magic, philosophy,
geography, mathematics (especially geometry), anatomy, and oratory. Orpheus was similarly
acclaimed by the Greeks.

In his Biographia Antiqua, Francis Barrett says of Hermes: "* * * if God ever appeared in man, he
appeared in him, as is evident both from his books and his Pymander; in which works he has

communicated the sum of the Abyss, and the divine knowledge to all posterity; by which he has
demonstrated himself to have been not only an inspired divine, but also a deep philosopher,
obtaining his wisdom from God and heavenly things, and not from man."

His transcendent learning caused Hermes to be identified with many of the early sages and prophets.
In his Ancient Mythology, Bryant writes: "I have mentioned that Cadmus was the same as the
Egyptian Thoth; and it is manifest from his being Hermes, and from the invention of letters being

attributed to him. " (In the chapter on the theory of Pythagorean Mathematics will be found the table
of the original Cadmean letters.) Investigators believe that it was Hermes who was known to the Jews
as "Enoch," called by Kenealy the "Second Messenger of God." Hermes was accepted into the
mythology of the Greeks, later becoming the Mercury of the Latins. He was revered through the form
of the planet Mercury because this body is nearest to the sun: Hermes of all creatures was nearest to
God, and became known as the Messenger of the Gods.

In the Egyptian drawings of him, Thoth carries a waxen writing tablet and serves as the recorder
during the weighing of the souls of the dead in the judgment Hall of Osiris~a ritual of great
significance. Hermes is of first importance to Masonic scholars, because he was the author of the
Masonic initiatory rituals, which were borrowed from the Mysteries established by Hermes. Nearly all
of the Masonic symbols are Hermetic in character. Pythagoras studied mathematics with the
Egyptians and from them gained his knowledge of the symbolic geometric solids. Hermes is also
revered for his reformation of the calendar system. He increased the year from 360 to 365 days, thus
establishing a precedent which still prevails. The appellation "Thrice Greatest" was given to Hermes
because he was considered the greatest of all philosophers, the greatest of all priests, and the greatest
of all kings. It is worthy of note that the last poem of America's beloved poet, Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, was a lyric ode to Hermes. (See Chambers' Encyclopaedia.)

THE MUTILATED HERMETIC FRAGMENTS

On the subject of the Hermetic books, James Campbell Brown, in his History of Chemistry, has
written: "Leaving the Chaldean and earliest Egyptian periods, of which we have remains but no
record, and from which no names of either chemists or philosophers have come down to us, we now
approach the Historic Period, when books were written, not at first upon parchment or paper, but
upon papyrus. A series of early Egyptian books is attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, who may have
been a real savant, or may be a personification of a long succession of writers. * * * He is identified by
some with the Greek god Hermes, and the Egyptian Thoth or Tuti, who was the moon-god, and is
represented in ancient paintings as ibis-headed with the disc and crescent of the moon. The Egyptians
regarded him as the god of wisdom, letters, and the recording of time. It is in consequence of the
great respect entertained for Hermes by the old alchemists that chemical writings were called
'hermetic,' and that the phrase 'hermetically sealed' is still in use to designate the closing of a glass
vessel by fusion, after the manner of chemical manipulators. We find the same root in the hermetic
medicines of Paracelsus, and the hermetic freemasonry of the Middle Ages."

Among the fragmentary writings believed to have come from the stylus of Hermes are two famous
works. The first is the Emerald Table, and the second is the Divine Pymander, or, as it is more
commonly called. The Shepherd of Men, a discussion of which follows. One outstanding point in
connection with Hermes is that he was one of the few philosopher-priests of pagandom upon whom
the early Christians did not vent their spleen. Some Church Fathers went so far as to declare that
Hermes exhibited many symptoms of intelligence, and that if he had only been born in a more
enlightened age so that he might have benefited by their instructions he would have been a really
great man!

In his Stromata, Clement of Alexandria, one of the few chroniclers of pagan lore whose writings have
been preserved to this age, gives practically all the information that is known concerning the original
forty-two books of Hermes and the importance with which these books were regarded by both the
temporal and spiritual powers of Egypt. Clement describes one of their ceremonial processions as
follows:

"For the Egyptians pursue a philosophy of their own. This is

HERMES MERCURIUS TRISMEGISTUS.

From Historia Deorum Fatidicorum.

Master of all arts and sciences, perfect in all crafts, Ruler of the Three Worlds, Scribe of the Gods, and Keeper of the Books
of Life, Thoth Hermes Trismegistus~the Three Times Greatest, the "First Intelligencer"~was regarded by the ancient
Egyptians as the embodiment of the Universal Mind. While in all probability there actually existed a great sage and
educator by the name of Hermes, it is impossible to extricate the historical man from the mass of legendary accounts
which attempt to identify him with the Cosmic Principle of Thought.

p. 38

principally shown by their sacred ceremonial. For first advances the Singer, bearing some one of the
symbols of music. For they say that he must learn two of the books of Hermes, the one of which
contains the hymns of the gods, the second the regulations for the king's life. And after the Singer
advances the Astrologer, with a horologe in his hand, and a palm, the symbols of astrology. He must
have the astrological books of Hermes, which are four in number, always in his mouth. Of these, one
is about the order of the fixed stars that are visible, and another about the conjunctions and luminous
appearances of the sun and moon; and the rest respecting their risings. Next in order advances the
sacred Scribe, with wings on his head, and in his hand a book and rule, in which were writing ink and
the reed, with which they write. And he must be acquainted with what are called hieroglyphics, and
know about cosmography and geography, the position of the sun and moon, and about the five
planets; also the description of Egypt, and the chart of the Nile; and the description of the equipment
of the priests and of the place consecrated to them, and about the measures and the things in use in
the sacred rites. Then the Stole-keeper follows those previously mentioned, with the cubit of justice
and the cup for libations. He is acquainted with all points called Pgedeutic (relating to training) and
Moschophaltic (sacrificial). There are also ten books which relate to the honour paid by them to their
gods, and containing the Egyptian worship; as that relating to sacrifices, first-fruits, hymns, prayers,
processions, festivals, and the like. And behind all walks the Prophet, with the water-vase carried
openly in his arms; who is followed by those who carry the issue of loaves. He, as being the governor
of the temple, learns the ten books called 'Hieratic'; and they contain all about the laws, and the gods,
and the whole of the training of the priests. For the Prophet is, among the Egyptians, also over the
distribution of the revenues. There are then forty-two books of Hermes indispensably necessary; of

which the six-and-thirty containing the whole philosophy of the Egyptians are learned by the

forementioned personages; and the other six, which are medical, by the Pastophoroi (image-
bearers), —treating of the structure of the body, and of disease, and instruments, and medicines, and
about the eyes, and the last about women.

One of the greatest tragedies of the philosophic world was the loss of nearly all of the forty-two books
of Hermes mentioned in the foregoing. These books disappeared during the burning of Alexandria,
for the Romans—and later the Christians— realized that until these books were eliminated they could
never bring the Egyptians into subjection. The volumes which escaped the fire were buried in the
desert and their location is now known to only a few initiates of the secret schools.

THE BOOK OF THOTH

While Hermes still walked the earth with men, he entrusted to his chosen successors the sacred Book
ofThoth. This work contained the secret processes by which the regeneration of humanity was to be
accomplished and also served as the key to his other writings. Nothing definite is known concerning
the contents of the Book ofThoth other than that its pages were covered with strange hieroglyphic
figures and symbols, which gave to those acquainted with their use unlimited power over the spirits of
the air and the subterranean divinities. When certain areas of the brain are stimulated by the secret
processes of the Mysteries, the consciousness of man is extended and he is permitted to behold the
Immortals and enter into the presence of the superior gods. The Book ofThoth described the method
whereby this stimulation was accomplished. In truth, therefore, it was the "Key to Immortality."

According to legend, the Book ofThoth was kept in a golden box in the inner sanctuary of the temple.
There was but one key and this was in the possession of the "Master of the Mysteries," the highest
initiate of the Hermetic Arcanum. He alone knew what was written in the secret book. The Book of
Thoth was lost to the ancient world with the decay of the Mysteries, but its faithful initiates carried it
sealed in the sacred casket into another land. The book is still in existence and continues to lead the
disciples of this age into the presence of the Immortals. No other information can be given to the
world concerning it now, but the apostolic succession from the first hierophant initiated by Hermes
himself remains unbroken to this day, and those who are peculiarly fitted to serve the Immortals may
discover this priceless document if they will search sincerely and tirelessly for it.

It has been asserted that the Book ofThoth is, in reality, the mysterious Tarot of the Bohemians— a
strange emblematic book of seventy-eight leaves which has been in possession of the gypsies since the
time when they were driven from their ancient temple, the Serapeum. (According to the Secret
Histories the gypsies were originally Egyptian priests.) There are now in the world several secret
schools privileged to initiate candidates into the Mysteries, but in nearly every instance they lighted
their altar fires from the flaming torch of Herm. Hermes in his Book ofThoth revealed to all mankind
the "One Way," and for ages the wise of every nation and every faith have reached immortality by the
"Way" established by Hermes in the midst of the darkness for the redemption of humankind.

POIMANDRES, THE VISION OF HERMES

The Divine Pymander of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus is one of the earliest of the Hermetic
writings now extant. While probably not in its original form, having been remodeled during the first
centuries of the Christian Era and incorrectly translated since, this work undoubtedly contains many
of the original concepts of the Hermetic cultus. The Divine Pymander consists of seventeen
fragmentary writings gathered together and put forth as one work. The second book of The Divine
Pymander, called Poimandres, or The Vision, is believed to describe the method by which the divine
wisdom was first revealed to Hermes. It was after Hermes had received this revelation that he began

his ministry, teaching to all who would listen the secrets of the invisible universe as they had been
unfolded to him.

The Vision is the most: famous of all the Hermetic fragments, and contains an exposition of Hermetic
cosmogony and the secret sciences of the Egyptians regarding the culture and unfoldment of the
human soul. For some time it was erroneously called "The Genesis of Enoch," but that mistake has
now been rectified. At hand while preparing the following interpretation of the symbolic philosophy
concealed within The Vision of Hermes the present author has had these reference works: The Divine
Pymander of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus (London, 1650), translated out of the Arabic and
Greek by Dr. Everard; Hermetica (Oxford, 1924), edited by Walter Scott; Hermes, The Mysteries of
Egypt (Philadelphia, 1925), by Edouard Schure; and the Thrice-Greatest Hermes (London, 1906), by
G. R. S. Mead. To the material contained in the above volumes he has added commentaries based
upon the esoteric philosophy of the ancient Egyptians, together with amplifications derived partly
from other Hermetic fragments and partly from the secret arcanum of the Hermetic sciences. For the
sake of clarity, the narrative form has been chosen in preference to the original dialogic style, and
obsolete words have given place to those in current use.

Hermes, while wandering in a rocky and desolate place, gave himself over to meditation and prayer.
Following the secret instructions of the Temple, he gradually freed his higher consciousness from the
bondage of his bodily senses; and, thus released, his divine nature revealed to him the mysteries of
the transcendental spheres. He beheld a figure, terrible and awe-inspiring. It was the Great Dragon,
with wings stretching across the sky and light streaming in all directions from its body. (The
Mysteries taught that the Universal Life was personified as a dragon.) The Great Dragon called
Hermes by name, and asked him why he thus meditated upon the World Mystery. Terrified by the
spectacle, Hermes prostrated himself before the Dragon, beseeching it to reveal its identity. The great
creature answered that it was Poimandres, the Mind of the Universe, the Creative Intelligence, and
the Absolute Emperor of all. (Schure identifies Poimandres as the god Osiris.) Hermes then besought
Poimandres to disclose the nature of the universe and the constitution of the gods. The Dragon
acquiesced, bidding Trismegistus hold its image in his mind.

Immediately the form of Poimandres changed. Where it had stood there was a glorious and pulsating
Radiance. This Light was the spiritual nature of the Great Dragon itself. Hermes was "raised" into the
midst of this Divine Effulgence and the universe of material things faded from his consciousness.
Presently a great darkness descended and, expanding, swallowed up the Light. Everything was
troubled. About Hermes swirled a mysterious watery substance which gave forth a smokelike vapor.
The air was filled with inarticulate moanings and sighings which seemed to come from the Light
swallowed up in the darkness. His mind told Hermes that

THOTH, THE IBIS-HEADED.

From Wilkinson's Manners & Customs of the Ancient Egyptians.

It is doubtful that the deity called Thoth by the Egyptians was originally Hermes, but the two personalities were blended
together and it is now impossible to separate them. Thoth was called "The Lord of the Divine Books" and "Scribe of the
Company of the Gods." He is generally depicted with the body of a man and the head of an ibis. The exact symbolic
meaning of this latter bird has never been discovered. A careful analysis of the peculiar shape of the ibis—especially its
head and beak—should prove illuminating.

p- 39

the Light was the form of the spiritual universe and that the swirhng darkness which had engulfed it
represented material substance.

Then out of the imprisoned Light a mysterious and Holy Word came forth and took its stand upon the
smoking waters. This Word— the Voice of the Light— rose out of the darkness as a great pillar, and the
fire and the air followed after it, but the earth and the water remained unmoved below. Thus the
waters of Light were divided from the waters of darkness, and from the waters of Light were formed
the worlds above and from the waters of darkness were formed the worlds below. The earth and the
water next mingled, becoming inseparable, and the Spiritual Word which is called Reason moved
upon their surface, causing endless turmoil.

Then again was heard the voice of Poimandres, but His form was not revealed: "I Thy God am the
Light and the Mind which were before substance was divided from spirit and darkness from Light.
And the Word which appeared as a pillar of flame out of the darkness is the Son of God, born of the
mystery of the Mind. The name of that Word is Reason. Reason is the offspring of Thought and
Reason shall divide the Light from the darkness and establish Truth in the midst of the waters.
Understand, O Hermes, and meditate deeply upon the mystery. That which in you sees and hears is
not of the earth, but is the Word of God incarnate. So it is said that Divine Light dwells in the midst of
mortal darkness, and ignorance cannot divide them. The union of the Word and the Mind produces
that mystery which is called Life. As the darkness without you is divided against itself, so the darkness
within you is likewise divided. The Light and the fire which rise are the divine man, ascending in the
path of the Word, and that which fails to ascend is the mortal man, which may not partake of
immortality. Learn deeply of the Mind and its mystery, for therein lies the secret of immortality."

The Dragon again revealed its form to Hermes, and for a long time the two looked steadfastly one
upon the other, eye to eye, so that Hermes trembled before the gaze of Poimandres. At the Word of

the Dragon the heavens opened and the innumerable Light Powers were revealed, soaring through
Cosmos on pinions of streaming fire. Hermes beheld the spirits of the stars, the celestials controlling
the universe, and all those Powers which shine with the radiance of the One Fire—the glory of the
Sovereign Mind. Hermes realized that the sight which he beheld was revealed to him only because
Poimandres had spoken a Word. The Word was Reason, and by the Reason of the Word invisible
things were made manifest. Divine Mind—the Dragon— continued its discourse:

"Before the visible universe was formed its mold was cast. This mold was called the Archetype, and
this Archetype was in the Supreme Mind long before the process of creation began. Beholding the
Archetypes, the Supreme Mind became enamored with Its own thought; so, taking the Word as a
mighty hammer, It gouged out caverns in primordial space and cast the form of the spheres in the
Archetypal mold, at the same time sowing in the newly fashioned bodies the seeds of living things.
The darkness below, receiving the hammer of the Word, was fashioned into an orderly universe. The
elements separated into strata and each brought forth living creatures. The Supreme Being— the
Mind— male and female, brought forth the Word; and the Word, suspended between Light and
darkness, was delivered of another Mind called the Workman, the Master-Builder, or the Maker of
Things.

"In this manner it was accomplished, O Hermes: The Word moving like a breath through space called
forth the Fire by the friction of its motion. Therefore, the Fire is called the Son of Striving. The
Workman passed as a whirlwind through the universe, causing the substances to vibrate and glow
with its friction, The Son of Striving thus formed Seven Governors, the Spirits of the Planets, whose
orbits bounded the world; and the Seven Governors controlled the world by the mysterious power
called Destiny given them by the Fiery Workman. When the Second Mind (The Workman) had
organized Chaos, the Word of God rose straightway our of its prison of substance, leaving the
elements without Reason, and joined Itself to the nature of the Fiery Workman. Then the Second
Mind, together with the risen Word, established Itself in the midst of the universe and whirled the
wheels of the Celestial Powers. This shall continue from an infinite beginning to an infinite end, for
the beginning and the ending are in the same place and state.

"Then the downward-turned and unreasoning elements brought forth creatures without Reason.
Substance could not bestow Reason, for Reason had ascended out of it. The air produced flying things
and the waters such as swim. The earth conceived strange four-footed and creeping beasts, dragons,
composite demons, and grotesque monsters. Then the Father— the Supreme Mind— being Light and
Life, fashioned a glorious Universal Man in Its own image, not an earthy man but a heavenly Man
dwelling in the Light of God. The Supreme Mind loved the Man It had fashioned and delivered to
Him the control of the creations and workmanships.

"The Man, desiring to labor, took up His abode in the sphere of generation and observed the works of
His brother— the Second Mind— which sat upon the Ring of the Fire. And having beheld the
achievements of the Fiery Workman, He willed also to make things, and His Father gave permission.
The Seven Governors, of whose powers He partook, rejoiced and each gave the Man a share of Its own
nature.

"The Man longed to pierce the circumference of the circles and understand the mystery of Him who
sat upon the Eternal Fire. Having already all power. He stooped down and peeped through the seven
Harmonies and, breaking through the strength of the circles, made Himself manifest to Nature
stretched out below. The Man, looking into the depths, smiled, for He beheld a shadow upon the
earth and a likeness mirrored in the waters, which shadow and likeness were a reflection of Himself.
The Man fell in love with His own shadow and desired to descend into it. Coincident with the desire,
the Intelligent Thing united Itself with the unreasoning image or shape.

"Nature, beholding the descent, wrapped herself about the Man whom she loved, and the two were
mingled. For this reason, earthy man is composite. Within him is the Sky Man, immortal and
beautiful; without is Nature, mortal and destructible. Thus, suffering is the result of the Immortal
Man's falling in love with His shadow and giving up Reality to dwell in the darkness of illusion; for,
being immortal, man has the power of the Seven Governors—also the Life, the Light, and the Word-
but being mortal, he is controlled by the Rings of the Governors—Fate or Destiny.

"Of the Immortal Man it should be said that He is hermaphrodite, or male and female, and eternally
watchful. He neither slumbers nor sleeps, and is governed by a Father also both male and female, and
ever watchful. Such is the mystery kept hidden to this day, for Nature, being mingled in marriage with
the Sky Man, brought forth a wonder most wonderful— seven men, all bisexual, male and female, and
upright of stature, each one exemplifying the natures of the Seven Governors. These O Hermes, are
the seven races, species, and wheels.

"After this manner were the seven men generated. Earth was the female element and water the male
element, and from the fire and the gether they received their spirits, and Nature produced bodies after
the species and shapes of men. And man received the Life and Light of the Great Dragon, and of the
Life was made his Soul and of the Light his Mind. And so, all these composite creatures containing
immortality, but partaking of mortality, continued in this state for the duration of a period. They
reproduced themselves out of themselves, for each was male and female. But at the end of the period
the knot of Destiny was untied by the will of God and the bond of all things was loosened.

"Then all living creatures, including man, which had been hermaphroditical, were separated, the
males being set apart by themselves and the females likewise, according to the dictates of Reason.

"Then God spoke to the Holy Word within the soul of all things, saying: 'Increase in increasing and
multiply in multitudes, all you, my creatures and workmanships. Let him that is endued with Mind
know himself to be immortal and that the cause of death is the love of the body; and let him learn all
things that are, for he who has recognized himself enters into the state of Good.'

The name Hermes is derived from "Herm," a form of CHiram, the Personified Universal Life Principle, generally
represented by fire. The Scandinavians worshiped Hermes under the name of Odin; the Teutons as Wotan, and certain of
the Oriental peoples as Buddha, or Fo. There are two theories concerning his demise. The first declares that Hermes was

Sexmes KTJIN.

A GREEK FORM OF HERMES.

From Bryant's Mythology.

translated like Enoch and carried without death into the presence of God, the second states that he was buried in the
Valley of Ebron and a great treasure placed in his tomb—not a treasure of gold but of books and sacred learning.

The Egyptians likened humanity to a flock of sheep. The Supreme and Inconceivable Father was the Shepherd, and
Hermes was the shepherd dog. The origin of the shepherd's crook in religious symbolism may be traced to the Egyptian
rituals. The three scepters of Egypt include the shepherd's crook, symbolizing that by virtue of the power reposing in that
symbolic staff the initiated Pharaohs guided the destiny of their people.

p. 40

"And when God had said this, Providence, with the aid of the Seven Governors and Harmony, brought
the sexes together, making the mixtures and estabhshing the generations, and all things were
multiplied according to their kind. He who through the error of attachment loves his body, abides
wandering in darkness, sensible and suffering the things of death, but he who realizes that the body is
but the tomb of his soul, rises to immortality."

Then Hermes desired to know why men should be deprived of immortality for the sin of ignorance
alone. The Great Dragon answered:. To the ignorant the body is supreme and they are incapable of
realizing the immortality that is within them. Knowing only the body which is subject to death, they
believe in death because they worship that substance which is the cause and reality of death."

Then Hermes asked how the righteous and wise pass to God, to which Poimandres replied: "That
which the Word of God said, say I: 'Because the Father of all things consists of Life and Light, whereof
man is made.' If, therefore, a man shall learn and understand the nature of Life and Light, then he
shall pass into the eternity of Life and Light."

Hermes next inquired about the road by which the wise attained to Life eternal, and Poimandres
continued: "Let the man endued with a Mind mark, consider, and learn of himself, and with the
power of his Mind divide himself from his not-self and become a servant of Reality."

Hermes asked if all men did not have Minds, and the Great Dragon replied: "Take heed what you say,
for I am the Mind—the Eternal Teacher. I am the Father of the Word—the Redeemer of all men— and
in the nature of the wise the Word takes flesh. By means of the Word, the world is saved. I, Thought
(Thoth)~the Father of the Word, the Mind— come only unto men that are holy and good, pure and
merciful, and that live piously and religiously, and my presence is an inspiration and a help to them,
for when I come they immediately know all things and adore the Universal Father. Before such wise
and philosophic ones die, they learn to renounce their senses, knowing that these are the enemies of
their immortal souls.

"I will not permit the evil senses to control the bodies of those who love me, nor will I allow evil
emotions and evil thoughts to enter them. I become as a porter or doorkeeper, and shut out evil,
protecting the wise from their own lower nature. But to the wicked, the envious and the covetous, I
come not, for such cannot understand the mysteries of Mind; therefore, I am unwelcome. I leave
them to the avenging demon that they are making in their own souls, for evil each day increases itself
and torments man more sharply, and each evil deed adds to the evil deeds that are gone before until
finally evil destroys itself. The punishment of desire is the agony of unfulfillment."

Hermes bowed his head in thankfulness to the Great Dragon who had taught him so much, and
begged to hear more concerning the ultimate of the human soul. So Poimandres resumed: "At death
the material body of man is returned to the elements from which it came, and the invisible divine
man ascends to the source from whence he came, namely the Eighth Sphere. The evil passes to the
dwelling place of the demon, and the senses, feelings, desires, and body passions return to their
source, namely the Seven Governors, whose natures in the lower man destroy but in the invisible
spiritual man give life.

"After the lower nature has returned to the brutishness, the higher struggles again to regain its
spiritual estate. It ascends the seven Rings upon which sit the Seven Governors and returns to each
their lower powers in this manner: Upon the first ring sits the Moon, and to it is returned the ability
to increase and diminish. Upon the second ring sits Mercury, and to it are returned machinations,
deceit, and craftiness. Upon the third ring sits Venus, and to it are returned the lusts and passions.
Upon the fourth ring sits the Sun, and to this Lord are returned ambitions. Upon the fifth ring sits
Mars, and to it are returned rashness and profane boldness. Upon the sixth ring sits Jupiter, and to it
are returned the sense of accumulation and riches. And upon the seventh ring sits Saturn, at the Gate
of Chaos, and to it are returned falsehood and evil plotting.

"Then, being naked of all the accumulations of the seven Rings, the soul comes to the Eighth Sphere,
namely, the ring of the fixed stars. Here, freed of all illusion, it dwells in the Light and sings praises to
the Father in a voice which only the pure of spirit may understand. Behold, O Hermes, there is a great
mystery in the Eighth Sphere, for the Milky Way is the seed-ground of souls, and from it they drop
into the Rings, and to the Milky Way they return again from the wheels of Saturn. But some cannot
climb the seven-runged ladder of the Rings. So they wander in darkness below and are swept into
eternity with the illusion of sense and earthiness.

"The path to immortality is hard, and only a few find it. The rest await the Great Day when the wheels
of the universe shall be stopped and the immortal sparks shall escape from the sheaths of substance.
Woe unto those who wait, for they must return again, unconscious and unknowing, to the seed-
ground of stars, and await a new beginning. Those who are saved by the light of the mystery which I
have revealed unto you, O Hermes, and which I now bid you to establish among men, shall return
again to the Father who dwelleth in the White Light, and shall deliver themselves up to the Light and
shall be absorbed into the Light, and in the Light they shall become Powers in God. This is the Way of
Good and is revealed only to them that have wisdom.

"Blessed art thou, O Son of Light, to whom of all men, I, Poimandres, the Light of the World, have
revealed myself. I order you to go forth, to become as a guide to those who wander in darkness, that
all men within whom dwells the spirit of My Mind (The Universal Mind) may be saved by My Mind in
you, which shall call forth My Mind in them. Establish My Mysteries and they shall not fail from the
earth, for I am the Mind of the Mysteries and until Mind fails (which is never) my Mysteries cannot
fail." With these parting words, Poimandres, radiant with celestial light, vanished, mingling with the
powers of the heavens. Raising his eyes unto the heavens, Hermes blessed the Father of All Things
and consecrated his life to the service of the Great Light.

Thus preached Hermes: "O people of the earth, men born and made of the elements, but with the
spirit of the Divine Man within you, rise from your sleep of ignorance! Be sober and thoughtful.
Realize that your home is not in the earth but in the Light. Why have you delivered yourselves over
unto death, having power to partake of immortality? Repent, and change your minds. Depart from
the dark light and forsake corruption forever. Prepare yourselves to climb through the Seven Rings
and to blend your souls with the eternal Light."

Some who heard mocked and scoffed and went their way, delivering themselves to the Second Death
from which there is no salvation. But others, casting themselves before the feet of Hermes, besought
him to teach them the Way of Life. He lifted them gently, receiving no approbation for himself, and
staff in hand, went forth teaching and guiding mankind, and showing them how they might be saved.
In the worlds of men, Hermes sowed the seeds of wisdom and nourished the seeds with the Immortal
Waters. And at last came the evening of his life, and as the brightness of the light of earth was
beginning to go down, Hermes commanded his disciples to preserve his doctrines inviolate
throughout all ages. The Vision of Poimandres he committed to writing that all men desiring
immortality might therein find the way.

In concluding his exposition of the Vision, Hermes wrote: "The sleep of the body is the sober
watchfulness of the Mind and the shutting of my eyes reveals the true Light. My silence is filled with
budding life and hope, and is full of good. My words are the blossoms of fruit of the tree of my soul.
For this is the faithful account of what I received from my true Mind, that is Poimandres, the Great
Dragon, the Lord of the Word, through whom I became inspired by God with the Truth. Since that
day my Mind has been ever with me and in my own soul it hath given birth to the Word: the Word is
Reason, and Reason hath redeemed me. For which cause, with all my soul and all my strength, I give
praise and blessing unto God the Father, the Life and the Light, and the Eternal Good.

"Holy is God, the Father of all things, the One who is before the First Beginning.

"Holy is God, whose will is performed and accomplished by His own Powers which He hath given
birth to out of Himself.

"Holy is God, who has determined that He shall be known, and who is known by His own to whom He
reveals Himself.

"Holy art Thou, who by Thy Word (Reason) hast established all things.

"Holy art Thou, of whom all Nature is the image.

"Holy art Thou, whom the inferior nature has not formed.

"Holy art Thou, who art stronger than all powers.

"Holy art Thou, who art greater than all excellency.

"Holy art Thou, who art better than all praise.

"Accept these reasonable sacrifices from a pure soul and a heart stretched out unto Thee.
"O Thou Unspeakable, Unutterable, to be praised with silence!

"I beseech Thee to look mercifully upon me, that I may not err from the knowledge of Thee and that I
may enlighten those that are in ignorance, my brothers and Thy sons.

"Therefore I believe Thee and bear witness unto Thee, and depart in peace and in trustfulness into
Thy Light and Life.

"Blessed art Thou, O Father! The man Thou hast fashioned would be sanctified with Thee as Thou
hast given him power to sanctify others with Thy Word and Thy Truth."

The Vision of Hermes, like nearly all of the Hermetic writings, is an allegorical exposition of great
philosophic and mystic truths, and its hidden meaning may be comprehended only by those who have
been "raised" into the presence of the True Mind.

• 41

The Initiation of the Pyramid

SUPREME among the wonders of antiquity, unrivaled by the achievements of later architects and
builders, the Great Pyramid of Gizeh bears mute witness to an unknown civilization which, having
completed its predestined span, passed into oblivion. Eloquent in its silence, inspiring in its majesty,
divine in its simplicity, the Great Pyramid is indeed a sermon in stone. Its magnitude overwhelms the
puny sensibilities of man. Among the shifting sands of time it stands as a fitting emblem of eternity
itself. Who were the illumined mathematicians who planned its parts and dimensions, the master
craftsmen who supervised its construction, the skilled artisans who trued its blocks of stone?

The earliest and best-known account of the building of the Great Pyramid is that given by that highly
revered but somewhat imaginative historian, Herodotus. "The pyramid was built in steps, battlement-
wise, as it is called, or, according to others, altar-wise. After laying the stones for the base, they raised
the remaining stones to their places by means of machines formed of short wooden planks. The first
machine raised them from the ground to the top of the first step. On this there was another machine,
which received the stone upon its arrival, and conveyed it to the second step, whence a third machine
advanced it still higher. Either they had as many machines as there were steps in the pyramid, or
possibly they had but a single machine, which, being easily moved, was transferred from tier to tier as
the stone rose. Both accounts are given, and therefore I mention both. The upper portion of the
pyramid was finished first, then the middle, and finally the part which was lowest and nearest the
ground. There is an inscription in Egyptian characters on the pyramid which records the quantity of
radishes, onions, and garlick consumed by the labourers who constructed it; and I perfectly well
remember that the interpreter who read the writing to me said that the money expended in this way
was 1600 talents of silver. If this then is a true record, what a vast sum must have been spent on the
iron tools used in the work, and on the feeding and clothing of the labourers, considering the length
of time the work lasted, which has already been stated [ten years], and the additional time—no small
space, I imagine—which must have been occupied by the quarrying of the stones, their conveyance,
and the formation of the underground apartments."

While his account is extremely colorful, it is apparent that the Father of History, for reasons which he
doubtless considered sufficient, concocted a fraudulent story to conceal the true origin and purpose of
the Great Pyramid. This is but one of several instances in his writings which would lead the
thoughtful reader to suspect that Herodotus himself was an initiate of the Sacred Schools and
consequently obligated to preserve inviolate the secrets of the ancient orders. The theory advanced by
Herodotus and now generally accepted that the Pyramid was the tomb of the Pharaoh Cheops cannot
be substantiated. In fact, Manetho, Eratosthenes, and Diodorus Siculus all differ from Herodotus— as
well as from each other— regarding the name of the builder of this supreme edifice. The sepulchral
vault, which, according to the Lepsius Law of pyramid construction, should have been finished at the
same time as the monument or sooner, was never completed. There is no proof that the building was
erected by the Egyptians, for the elaborate carvings with which the burial chambers of Egyptian
royalty are almost invariably ornamented are entirely lacking and it embodies none of the elements of
their architecture or decoration, such as inscriptions, images, cartouches, paintings, and other
distinctive features associated with dynastic mortuary art. The only hieroglyphics to be found within
the Pyramid are a few builders' marks sealed up in the chambers of construction, first opened by
Howard Vyse. These apparently were painted upon the stones before they were set in position, for in a
number of instances the marks were either inverted or disfigured by the operation of fitting the blocks
together. While Egyptologists have attempted to identify the crude dabs of paint as cartouches of
Cheops, it is almost inconceivable that this ambitious ruler would have permitted his royal name to
suffer such indignities. As the most eminent authorities on the subject are still uncertain as to the true
meaning of these crude markings, whatever proof they might be that the building was erected during

the fourth dynasty is certainly offset by the sea shells at the base of the Pyramid which Mr. Gab

advances as evidence that it was erected before the Deluge—a theory substantiated by the much-
abused Arabian traditions. One Arabian historian declared that the Pyramid was built by the Egyptian
sages as a refuge against the Flood, while another proclaimed it to have been the treasure house of the
powerful antediluvian king Sheddad Ben Ad. A panel of hieroglyphs over the entrance, which the
casual observer might consider to afford a solution of the mystery, unfortunately dates back no
further than A.D. 1843, having been cut at that time by Dr. Lepsius as a tribute to the King of Prussia.

Caliph al Mamoun, an illustrious descendant of the Prophet, inspired by stories of the immense
treasures sealed within its depths, journeyed from Bagdad to Cairo, A.D. 820, with a great force of
workmen to open the mighty Pyramid. When Caliph al Mamoun first reached the foot of the "Rock of
Ages" and gazed up at its smooth glistening surface, a tumult of emotions undoubtedly racked his
soul. The casing stones must have been in place at the time of his visit, for the Caliph could find no
indication of an entrance—four perfectly smooth surfaces confronted him. Following vague rumors,
he set his followers to work on the north side of the Pyramid, with instructions to keep on cutting and
chiseling until they discovered something. To the Moslems with their crude instruments and vinegar
it was a herculean effort to tunnel a full hundred feet through the limestone. Many times they were on
the point of rebellion, but the word of the Caliph was law and the hope of a vast fortune buoyed them
up.

At last on the eve of total discouragement fate came to their rescue. A great stone was heard to fall
somewhere in the wall near the toiling and disgruntled Arabs. Pushing on toward the sound with
renewed enthusiasm, they finally broke into the descending passage which leads into the
subterranean chamber. They then chiseled their way around the great stone portcullis which had
fallen into a position barring their progress, and attacked and removed one after another the granite
plugs which for a while continued to slide down the passage leading from the Queen's Chamber above.

Finally no more blocks descended and the way was clear for the followers of the Prophet. But where
were the treasures? From room to room the frantic workmen rushed, looking in vain for loot. The
discontent of the Moslems reached such a height that Caliph al Mamoun— who had inherited much of
the wisdom of his illustrious father, the Caliph al Raschid— sent to Bagdad for funds, which he caused
to be secretly buried near the entrance of the Pyramid. He then ordered his men to dig at that spot
and great was their rejoicing when the treasure was discovered, the workmen being deeply impressed
by the wisdom of the antediluvian monarch who had carefully estimated their wages and thoughtfully
caused the exact amount to be buried for their benefit!

The Caliph then returned to the city of his fathers and the Great Pyramid was left to the mercy of
succeeding generations. In the ninth century the sun's rays striking the highly polished surfaces of the
original casing stones caused each side of the Pyramid to appear as

CEDIPUS AND THE SPHINX.

From Levi's Les Mysteres de la Kaballe.

The Egyptian Sphinx is closely related to the Greek legend of (Edipus, who first solved the famous riddle propounded by
the mysterious creature with the body of a winged lion and the head of a woman which frequented the highway leading to
Thebes. To each who passed her lair the sphinx addressed the question, "What animal is it that in the morning goes on
four feet, at noon on two feet, and in the evening on three feet?" These who failed to answer her riddle she destroyed.
CEdipus declared the answer to be man himself, who in childhood crawled upon his hands and knees, in manhood stood
erect, and in old age shuffled along supporting himself by a staff. Discovering one who knew the answer to her riddle, the
sphinx cast herself from the cliff which bordered the road and perished.

There is still another answer to the riddle of the sphinx, an answer best revealed by a consideration of the Pythagorean
values of numbers. The 4, the 2 and the 3 produce the sum of 9, which is the natural number of man and also of the lower
worlds. The 4 represents the ignorant man, the 2 the intellectual man, and the 3 the spiritual man. Infant humanity walks
on four legs, evolving humanity on two legs, and to the power of his own mind the redeemed and illumined magus adds
the staff of wisdom. The sphinx is therefore the mystery of Nature, the embodiment of the secret doctrine, and all who
cannot solve her riddle perish. To pass the sphinx is to attain personal immortality.

p. 42

a dazzling triangle of light. Since that time, all but two of these casing stones have disappeared.
Investigation has resulted in their discovery, recut and resurfaced, in the walls of Mohammedan
mosques and palaces in various parts of Cairo and its environs.

PYRAMID PROBLEMS

C. Piazzi Smyth asks: "Was the Great Pyramid, then, erected before the invention of hieroglyphics,

and previous to the birth of the Egyptian religion?" Time may yet prove that the upper chambers of
the Pyramid were a sealed mystery before the establishment of the Egyptian empire. In the
subterranean chamber, however, are markings which indicate that the Romans gained admission
there. In the light of the secret philosophy of the Egyptian initiates, W. W. Harmon, by a series of
extremely complicated yet exact mathematical calculations; determines that the first ceremonial of
the Pyramid was performed 68,890 years ago on the occasion when the star Vega for the first time

sent its ray down the descending passage into the pit. The actual building of the Pyramid was
accomplished in the period of from ten to fifteen years immediately preceding this date.

While such figures doubtless will evoke the ridicule of modern Egyptologists, they are based upon an
exhaustive study of the principles of sidereal mechanics as incorporated into the structure of the
Pyramid by its initiated builders. If the casing stones were in position at the beginning of the ninth
century, the so-called erosion marks upon the outside were not due to water. The theory also that the
salt upon the interior stones of the Pyramid is evidence that the building was once submerged is
weakened by the scientific fact that this kind of stone is subject to exudations of salt. While the
building may have been submerged, at least in part, during the many thousands of years since its
erection, the evidence adduced to prove this point is not conclusive.

The Great Pyramid was built of limestone and granite throughout, the two kinds of rock being
combined in a peculiar and significant manner. The stones were trued with the utmost precision, and
the cement used was of such remarkable quality that it is now practically as hard as the stone itself.
The limestone blocks were sawed with bronze saws, the teeth of which were diamonds or other jewels.
The chips from the stones were piled against the north side of the plateau on which the structure
stands, where they form an additional buttress to aid in supporting the weight of the structure. The
entire Pyramid is an example of perfect orientation and actually squares the circle. This last is
accomplished by dropping a vertical line from the apex of the Pyramid to its base line. If this vertical
line be considered as the radius of an imaginary circle, the length of the circumference of such a circle
will be found to equal the sum of the base lines of the four sides of the Pyramid.

If the passage leading to the King's Chamber and the Queen's Chamber was sealed up thousands of
years before the Christian Era, those later admitted into the Pyramid Mysteries must have received
their initiations in subterranean galleries now unknown. Without such galleries there could have been
no possible means of ingress or egress, since the single surface entrance was completely dosed with
casing stones. If not blocked by the mass of the Sphinx or concealed in some part of that image, the
secret entrance may be either in one of the adjacent temples or upon the sides of the limestone
plateau.

Attention is called to the granite plugs filling the ascending passageway to the Queen's Chamber
which Caliph al Mamoun was forced practically to pulverize before he could clear a way into the upper
chambers. C. Piazzi Sm5ith notes that the positions of the stones demonstrate that they were set in
place from above—which made it necessary for a considerable number of workmen to depart from the
upper chambers. How did they do it? Smyth believes they descended through the well (see diagram),
dropping the ramp stone into place behind them. He further contends that robbers probably used the
well as a means of getting into the upper chambers. The ramp stone having been set in a bed of
plaster, the robbers were forced to break through it, leaving a jagged opening. Mr. Dupre, an architect
who has spent years investigating the pyramids, differs from Smyth, however, in that he believes the
well itself to be a robbers' hole, being the first successful attempt made to enter the upper chambers
from the subterranean chamber, then the only open section of the Pyramid.

Mr. Dupre bases his conclusion upon the fact that the well is merely a rough hole and the grotto an
irregular chamber, without any evidence of the architectural precision with which the remainder of
the structure was erected. The diameter of the well also precludes the possibility of its having been
dug downward; it must have been gouged out from below, and the grotto was necessary to supply air
to the thieves. It is inconceivable that the Pyramid builders would break one of their own ramp stones
and leave its broken surface and a gaping hole in the side wall of their otherwise perfect gallery. If the
well is a robbers' hole, it may explain why the Pyramid was empty when Caliph al Mamoun entered it
and what happened to the missing coffer lid. A careful examination of the so-called unfinished
subterranean chamber, which must have been the base of operations for the robbers, might disclose
traces of their presence or show where they piled the rubble which must have accumulated as a result

of their operations. While it is not entirely clear by what entrance the robbers reached the
subterranean chamber, it is improbable that they used the descending passageway.

There is a remarkable niche in the north wall of the Queen's Chamber which the Mohammedan
guides glibly pronounce to be a shrine. The general shape of this niche, however, with its walls
converging by a series of overlaps like those of the Grand Gallery, would indicate that originally it had
been intended as a passageway. Efforts made to explore this niche have been nonproductive, but Mr.
Dupre believes an entrance to exist here through which—if the well did not exist at the time—the
workmen made their exit from the Pyramid after dropping the stone plugs into the ascending gallery.

Biblical scholars have contributed a number of most extraordinary conceptions regarding the Great
Pyramid. This ancient edifice has been identified by them as Joseph's granary (despite its hopelessly
inadequate capacity); as the tomb prepared for the unfortunate Pharaoh of the Exodus who could not
be buried there because his body was never recovered from the Red Sea; and finally as a perpetual
confirmation of the infallibility of the numerous prophecies contained in the Authorized Version!

THE SPHINX

Although the Great Pyramid, as Ignatius Donnelly has demonstrated, is patterned after an
antediluvian type of architecture, examples of which are to be found in nearly every part of the world,
the Sphinx (Hu) is typically Egyptian. The stele between its paws states the Sphinx is an image of the
Sun God, Harmackis, which was evidently made in the similitude of the Pharaoh during whose reign
it was chiseled. The statue was restored and completely excavated by Tahutmes IV as the result of a
vision in which the god had appeared and declared himself oppressed by the weight of the sand about
his body. The broken beard of the Sphinx was discovered during excavations between the front paws.
The steps leading up to the sphinx and also the temple and altar between the paws are much later
additions, probably Roman, for it is known that the Romans reconstructed many Egyptian antiquities.
The shallow depression in the crown of the head, once thought to be the terminus of a closed up
passageway leading from the Sphinx to the Great Pyramid, was merely intended to help support a
headdress now missing.

Metal rods have been driven into the Sphinx in a vain effort to discover chambers or passages within
its body. The major part of the Sphinx is a single stone, but the front paws have been built up of
smaller stones. The Sphinx is about 200 feet long, 70 feet high, and 38 feet wide across the shoulders.
The main stone from which it was carved is believed by some to have been transported from distant
quarries by methods unknown, while others assert it to be native rock, possibly an outcropping
somewhat resembling the form into which it was later carved. The theory once advanced that both the
Pyramid and the Sphinx were built from artificial stones made on the spot has been abandoned. A
careful analysis of the limestone shows it to be composed of small sea creatures called mummulites.

The popular supposition that the Sphinx was the true portal of the Great Pyramid, while it survives
with surprising tenacity, has never been substantiated. P. Christian presents this theory as follows,
basing it in part upon the authority of lamblichus:

"The Sphinx of Gizeh, says the author of the Traite des Mysteres, served as the entrance to the sacred
subterranean chambers in which the trials of the initiate were undergone. This entrance, obstructed
in our day by sands and rubbish, may still be traced between the forelegs of the crouched colossus. It
was formerly closed by a bronze gate whose secret spring could be operated only by the Magi. It was
guarded by public respect: and a sort of religious fear maintained its inviolability better than armed
protection would have done. In the belly of the Sphinx were cut out galleries leading to the
subterranean part of the Great Pyramid. These galleries were so artfully crisscrossed along their
course to the Pyramid that in setting forth into the passage without a guide through this network, one
ceaselessly and inevitably returned to the starting point." (See Histoire de la Magie.)

Unfortunately, the bronze door referred to cannot be found, nor is there any evidence that it ever existed. The passing centuries have
wrought many changes in the colossus, however, and the original opening may have been closed.

Nearly all students of the subject believe that subterranean chambers exist beneath the Great Pyramid. Robert Ballard writes: "The priests
of the Pyramids of Lake Moeris had their vast subterranean residences. It appears to me more than probable that those of Gizeh were
similarly provided. And I may go further:~Out of these very caverns may have been excavated the limestone of which the Pyramids were
built. * * * In the bowels of the limestone ridge on which

P-43

VtriidSali Sa-tij>n/, Iseidu Wtst/,
QftiAT PYJtAMW

tit

By jtM^Mjjmi ^it/.

^ .Ti- ' — J- B>

A VERTICAL SECTION OF THE GREAT PYRAMID.

From Smyth's Life and Wok at the Great Pyramid.

The Great Pyramid stands upon a limestone plateau at the base of which, according to ancient history, the Nile once
flooded, thus supplying a method for the huge blocks used in its construction. Presuming that the capstone as originally in
place, the Pyramid is, according to John Taylor, in round figures 486 feet high; the base of each side is 764 feet long, and
the entire structure covers a ground area of more than 13 acres.

The Great Pyramid is the only one in the group at Gizeh~in fact, as far as known, the only one in Egypt—that has
chambers within the actual body of the Pyramid itself Far this reason it is said to refute the Lepsius Law, which asserts
that each of these structures is a monument raised over a subterranean chamber in which a ruler is entombed. The
Pyramid contains four chambers, which in the diagram are lettered K, H, F, and O.

The King's Chamber (K) is an oblong apartment 39 feet long, 17 felt wide, and 19 feet high (disregarding fractional parts of
a foot in each case), with a flat roof consisting of nine great stones, the largest in the Pyramid. Above the King's Chamber
are five low compartments (L), generally termed construction chambers. In the lowest of these the so-called hieroglj^hs
of the Pharaoh Cheops are located. The roof of the fifth construction chamber is peaked. At the end of the King's Chamber
opposite the entrance stands the famous sarcophagus, or coffer (I), and behind it is a shallow opening that was dug in the
hope of discovering valuables. Two air vents (M, N) passing through the entire body of the Pyramid ventilate the King's
Chamber. In itself this is sufficient to establish that the building was not intended for a tomb.

Between the upper end of the Grand Gallery (G. G.) and the King's Chamber is a small antechamber (H), its extreme
length 9 feet, its extreme width 5 feet, and its extreme height 12 feet, with its walls grooved far purposes now unknown. In
the groove nearest the Grand Gallery is a slab of stone in two sections, with a peculiar boss or knob protruding about an
inch from the surface of the upper part facing the Grand Gallery. This stone does not reach to the floor of the antechamber
and those entering the King's Chamber must pass under the slab. From the King's Chamber, the Grand Gallery— 157 feet in
length, 28 feet in height, 7 feet in width at its widest point and decreasing to 31/2 feet as the result of seven converging
overlaps, of the stones forming the walls— descends to a little above the level of the Queen's Chamber. Here a gallery (E)
branches off, passing mere than 100 feet back towards the center of the Pyramid and opening into the Queen's Chamber
(F). The Queen's Chamber is 19 feet long, 17 feet wide, and 20 feet high. Its roof is peaked and composed of great slabs of
stone. Air passages not shown lead from the Queen's Chamber, but these were not open originally. In the east wall of the
Queen's Chamber is a peculiar niche of gradually converging stone, which in all likelihood, may prove to be a new lost
entrance way.

At the paint where the Grand Gallery ends and the horizontal passage towards the Queen's Chamber begins is the
entrance to the well and also the opening leading down the first ascending passage (D) to the point where this passage
meets the descending passage (A) leading from the outer wall of the Pyramid down to the subterranean chamber. After
descending 59 feet down the well (P), the grotto is reached. Continuing through the floor of the grotto the well leads
downward 133 feet to the descending entrance passage (A), which it meets a short distance before this passage becomes
horizontal and leads into the subterranean chamber.

The subterranean chamber (O) is about 46 feet long and 27 feet wide, but is extremely low, the ceiling varying in height
from a little over 3 feet to about 13 feet fi-om the rough and apparently unflnished floor. From the south side of the
subterranean chamber a low tunnel runs about 50 feet and then meets a blank wall. These constitute the only known
openings in the Pyramid, with the exception of a few niches, exploration holes, blind passages, and the rambling
cavernous tunnel (B) hewn out by the Moslems under the leadership of the Prophet's descendant. Caliph al Mamoun.

the Pyramids are built will yet be found, I feel convinced, ample information as to their uses. A good
diamond drill with two or three hundred feet of rods is what is wanted to test this, and the solidarity
of the Pyramids at the same time." (See The Solution of the Pyramid Problem.)

Mr. Ballard's theory of extensive underground apartments and quarries brings up an important
problem in architectonics. The Pyramid builders were too farsighted to endanger the permanence of
the Great Pyramid by placing over five million tons of limestone and granite on any but a solid
foundation. It is therefore reasonably certain that such chambers or passageways as may exist
beneath the building are relatively insignificant, like those within the body of the structure, which
occupy less than one sixteen-hundredth of the cubic contents of the Pyramid.

The Sphinx was undoubtedly erected for symbolical purposes at the instigation of the priestcraft. The
theories that the urseus upon its forehead was originally the finger of an immense sundial and that

both the Pyramid and the Sphinx were used to measure time, the seasons, and the precession of the
equinoxes are ingenious but not wholly convincing. If this great creature was erected to obliterate the
ancient passageway leading into the subterranean temple of the Pyramid, its symbolism would be
most appropriate. In comparison with the overwhelming size and dignity of the Great Pyramid, the
Sphinx is almost insignificant. Its battered face, upon which may still be seen vestiges of the red paint
with which the figure was originally covered, is disfigured beyond recognition. Its nose was broken off
by a fanatical Mohammedan, lest the followers of the Prophet be led into idolatry. The very nature of
its construction and the present repairs necessary to prevent the head from falling off indicate that it
could not have survived the great periods of time which have elapsed since the erection of the
Pyramid.

To the Egyptians, the Sphinx was the symbol of strength and intelligence. It was portrayed as
androgynous to signify that they recognized the initiates and gods as partaking of both the positive
and negative creative powers. Gerald Massey writes: "This is the secret of the Sphinx. The orthodox
sphinx of Egypt is masculine in front and feminine behind. So is the image of Sut-Typhon, a type of
horn and tail, male in front and female behind. The Pharaohs, who wore the tail of the Lioness or Cow
behind them, were male in front and female behind. Like the Gods they included the dual totality of
Being in one person, born of the Mother, but of both sexes as the Child." (See The Natural Genesis.)

Most investigators have ridiculed the Sphinx and, without even deigning to investigate the great
colossus, have turned their attention to the more overwhelming mystery of the Pyramid.

THE PYRAMID MYSTERIES

The word pyramid is popularly supposed to be derived from nvp, fire, thus signifying that it is the
symbolic representation of the One Divine Flame, the life of every creature. John Taylor believes the
word pyramid to mean a "measure of wheat, " while C. Piazzi Smyth favors the Coptic meaning, "a
division into ten." The initiates of

p-44

old accepted the pyramid form as the ideal symbol of both the secret doctrine and those institutions
established for its dissemination. Both pyramids and mounds are antitypes of the Holy Mountain, or
High Place of God, which was believed to stand in the "midst" of the earth. John P. Lundy relates the
Great Pyramid to the fabled Olympus, further assuming that its subterranean passages correspond to
the tortuous byways of Hades.

The square base of the Pyramid is a constant reminder that the House of Wisdom is firmly founded
upon Nature and her immutable laws. "The Gnostics," writes Albert Pike, "claimed that the whole
edifice of their science rested on a square whose angles were: Siyr), Silence; BuGog, Profundity; Noug,
Intelligence; and AXriGeia Truth." (See Morals and Dogma.) The sides of the Great Pyramid face the
four cardinal angles, the latter signifying according to Eliphas Levi the extremities of heat and cold
(south and north) and the extremities of light and darkness (east and west). The base of the Pyramid
further represents the four material elements or substances from the combinations of which the
quaternary body of man is formed. From each side of the square there rises a triangle, typifying the
threefold divine being enthroned within every quaternary material nature. If each base line be
considered a square from which ascends a threefold spiritual power, then the sum of the lines of the
four faces (12) and the four hypothetical squares (16) constituting the base is 28, the sacred number
of the lower world. If this be added to the three septenaries composing the sun (21), it equals 49, the
square of 7 and the number of the universe.

The twelve signs of the zodiac, like the Governors' of the lower worlds, are symbolized by the twelve
lines of the four triangles—the faces of the Pyramid. In the midst of each face is one of the beasts of

Ezekiel, and the structure as a whole becomes the Cherubim. The three main chambers of the

Pyramid are related to the heart, the brain, and the generative system—the spiritual centers of the
human constitution. The triangular form of the Pyramid also is similar to the posture assumed by the
body during the ancient meditative exercises. The Mysteries taught that the divine energies from the
gods descended upon the top of the Pyramid, which was likened to an inverted tree with its branches
below and its roots at the apex. From this inverted tree the divine wisdom is disseminated by
streaming down the diverging sides and radiating throughout the world.

The size of the capstone of the Great Pyramid cannot be accurately determined, for, while most
investigators have assumed that it was once in place, no vestige of it now remains. There is a curious
tendency among the builders of great religious edifices to leave their creations unfinished, thereby
signifying that God alone is complete. The capstone—if it existed— was itself a miniature pyramid, the
apex of which again would be capped by a smaller block of similar shape, and so on ad infinitum. The
capstone therefore is the epitome of the entire structure. Thus, the Pyramid may be likened to the
universe and the capstone to man. Following the chain of analogy, the mind is the capstone of man,
the spirit the capstone of the mind, and God— the epitome of the whole— the capstone of the spirit. As
a rough and unfinished block, man is taken from the quarry and by the secret culture of the Mysteries
gradually transformed into a trued and perfect pyramidal capstone. The temple is complete only
when the initiate himself becomes the living apex through which the divine power is focused into the
diverging structure below.

W. Marsham Adams calls the Great Pyramid "the House of the Hidden Places"; such indeed it was,
for it represented the inner sanctuary of pre-Egyptian wisdom. By the Egyptians the Great Pyramid
was associated with Hermes, the god of wisdom and letters and the Divine Illuminator worshiped
through the planet Mercury. Relating Hermes to the Pyramid emphasizes anew the fact that it was in
reality the supreme temple of the Invisible and Supreme Deity. The Great Pyramid was not a
lighthouse, an observatory, or a tomb, but the first temple of the Mysteries, the first structure erected
as a repository for those secret truths which are the certain foundation of all arts and sciences. It was
the perfect emblem of the microcosm and the macrocosm and, according to the secret teachings, the
tomb of Osiris, the black god of the Nile. Osiris represents a certain manifestation of solar energy, and
therefore his house or tomb is emblematic of the universe within which he is entombed and upon the
cross of which he is crucified.

Through the mystic passageways and chambers of the Great Pyramid passed the illumined of
antiquity. They entered its portals as men; they came forth as gods. It was the place of the "second
birth," the "womb of the Mysteries," and wisdom dwelt in it as God dwells in the hearts of men.
Somewhere in the depths of its recesses there resided an unknown being who was called "The
Initiator," or "The Illustrious One," robed in blue and gold and bearing in his hand the sevenfold key
of Eternity. This was the lion-faced hierophant, the Holy One, the Master of Masters, who never left
the House of Wisdom and whom no man ever saw save he who had passed through the gates of
preparation and purification. It was in these chambers that Plato— he of the broad brow — came face
to face with the wisdom of the ages personified in the Master of the Hidden House.

Who was the Master dwelling in the mighty Pyramid, the many rooms of which signified the worlds in
space; the Master whom none might behold save those who had been "born again"? He alone fully
knew the secret of the Pyramid, but he has departed the way of the wise and the house is empty. The
hymns of praise no longer echo in muffled tones through the chambers; the neophyte no longer
passes through the elements and wanders among the seven stars; the candidate no longer receives the
"Word of Life" from the lips of the Eternal One. Nothing now remains that the eye of man can see but
an empty shell— the outer symbol of an inner truth— and men call the House of God a tomb!

The technique of the Mysteries was unfolded by the Sage Illuminator, the Master of the Secret House.
The power to know his guardian spirit was revealed to the new initiate; the method of disentangling

his material body from, his divine vehicle was explained; and to consummate the magnum opus,
there was revealed the Divine Name—the secret and unutterable designation of the Supreme Deity, by
the very knowledge of which man and his God are made consciously one. With the giving of the Name,
the new initiate became himself a pyramid, within the chambers of whose soul numberless other
human beings might also receive spiritual enlightenment.

In the King's Chamber was enacted the drama of the "second death." Here the candidate, after being
crucified upon the cross of the solstices and the equinoxes, was buried in the great coffer. There is a
profound mystery to the atmosphere and temperature of the King's Chamber: it is of a peculiar
deathlike cold which cuts to the marrow of the bone. This room was a doorway between the material
world and the transcendental spheres of Nature. While his body lay in the coffer, the soul of the
neophyte soared as a human-headed hawk through the celestial realms, there to discover first hand
the eternity of Life, Light, and Truth, as well as the illusion of Death, Darkness, and Sin. Thus in one
sense the Great Pyramid may be likened to a gate through which the ancient priests permitted a few
to pass toward the attainment of individual completion. It is also to be noted incidentally that if the
coffer in the King's Chamber be struck, the sound emitted has no counterpart in any known musical
scale. This tonal value may have formed part of that combination of circumstances which rendered
the King's Chamber an ideal setting for the conferment of the highest degree of the Mysteries.

The modern world knows little of these ancient rites. The scientist and the theologian alike gaze upon
the sacred structure, wondering what fundamental urge inspired the herculean labor. If they would
but think for a moment, they would realize that there is only one urge in the soul of man capable of
supplying the required incentive—namely, the desire to know, to understand, and to exchange the
narrowness of human mortality for the greater breadth and scope of divine enlightenment. So men
say of the Great Pjramid that it is the most perfect building in the world, the source of weights and
measures, the original Noah's Ark, the origin of languages, alphabets,, and scales of temperature and
humidity. Few realize, however, that it is the gateway to the Eternal.

Though the modern world may know a million secrets, the ancient world knew one— and that one was
greater than the million; for the million secrets breed death, disaster, sorrow, selfishness, lust, and
avarice, but the one secret confers life, light, and truth. The time will come when the secret wisdom
shall again be the dominating religious and philosophical urge of the world. The day is at hand when
the doom of dogma shall be sounded. The great theological Tower of Babel, with its confusion of
tongues, was built of bricks of mud and the mortar of slime. Out of the cold ashes of lifeless creeds,
however, shall rise phoenixlike the ancient Mysteries. No other institution has so completely satisfied
the religious aspirations of humanity, for since the destruction of the Mysteries there never has been a
religious code to which Plato could have subscribed. The unfolding of man's spiritual nature is as
much an exact science as astronomy, medicine or jurisprudence. To accomplish this end religions
were primarily established; and out of religion have come science, philosophy, and logic as methods
whereby this divine purpose might be realized.

The Dying God shall rise again! The secret room in the House of the Hidden Places shall be
rediscovered. The Pyramid again shall stand as the ideal emblem of solidarity, inspiration, aspiration,
resurrection, and regeneration. As the passing sands of time bury civilization upon civilization
beneath their weight, the Pyramid shall remain as the Visible covenant between Eternal Wisdom and
the world. The time may yet come when the chants of the illumined shall be heard once more in its
ancient passageways and the Master of the Hidden House shall await in the Silent Place for the
coming of that man who, casting aside the fallacies of dogma and tenet, seeks simply Truth and will
be satisfied with neither substitute nor counterfeit.

p-45

Isis, the Virgin of the World

IT is especially fitting that a study of Hermetic symbolism should begin with a discussion of the
symbols and attributes of the Saitic Isis. This is the Isis of Sais, famous for the inscription concerning
her which appeared on the front of her temple in that city: "I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or
shall be; no mortal Man hath ever me unveiled."

Plutarch affirms that many ancient authors believed this goddess to be the daughter of Hermes;
others held the opinion that she was the child of Prometheus. Both of these demigods were noted for
their divine wisdom. It is not improbable that her kinship to them is merely allegorical. Plutarch
translates the name Isis to mean wisdom. Godfrey Higgins, in his Anacalypsis, derives the name of
Isis from the Hebrew Iso, and the Greek ^coco, to save. Some authorities, however, for example,
Richard Payne Knight (as stated in his Symbolical Language of Ancient Art and Mythology), believe
the word to be of Northern extraction, possibly Scandinavian or Gothic. In these languages the name
is pronounced Isa, meaning ice, or water in its most passive, crystallized, negative state.

This Egyptian deity under many names appears as the principle of natural fecundity among nearly all
the religions of the ancient world. She was known as the goddess with ten thousand appellations and
was metamorphosed by Christianity into the Virgin Mary, for Isis, although she gave birth to all living
things—chief among them the Sun—still remained a virgin, according to the legendary accounts.

Apuleius in the eleventh book of The Golden Ass ascribes to the goddess the following statement

concerning her powers and attributes: "Behold, * *, I, moved by thy prayers, am present with thee; I,
who am Nature, the parent of things, the queen of all the elements, the primordial progeny of ages,
the supreme of Divinities, the sovereign of the spirits of the dead, the first of the celestials, and the
uniform resemblance of Gods and Goddesses. I, who rule by my nod the luminous summits of the
heavens, the salubrious breezes of the sea, and the deplorable silences of the realms beneath, and
whose one divinity the whole orb of the earth venerates under a manifold form, by different rites and
a variety of appellations. Hence the primogenial Phrygians call me Pessinuntica, the mother of the
Gods, the Attic Aborigines, Cecropian Minerva; the floating Cyprians, Paphian Venus; the arrow-
bearing Cretans, Diana Dictynna; the three-tongued Sicilians, Stygian Proserpine; and the
Eleusinians, the ancient Goddess Ceres. Some also call me Juno, others Bellona, others Hecate, and
others Rhamnusia. And those who are illuminated by the incipient rays of that divinity the Sun, when
he rises, viz. the Ethiopians, the Arii, and the Egyptians skilled in ancient learning, worshipping me
by ceremonies perfectly appropriate, call me by my true name. Queen Isis."

Le Plongeon believes that the Egyptian myth of Isis had a historical basis among the Mayas of Central
America, where this goddess was known as Queen Moo. In Prince Coh the same author finds a
correspondence to Osiris, the brother-husband of Isis. Le Plongeon's theory is that Mayan civilization
was far more ancient than that of Egypt. After the death of Prince Coh, his widow. Queen Moo, fleeing
to escape the wrath of his murderers, sought refuge among the Mayan colonies in Egypt, where she
was accepted as their queen and was given the name of Isis. While Le Plongeon may be right, the
possible historical queen sinks into insignificance when compared with the allegorical, symbolic
World Virgin; and the fact that she appears among so many different races and peoples discredits the
theory that she was a historical individual.

According to Sextus Empyricus, the Trojan war was fought over a statue of the moon goddess. For
this lunar Helena, and not for a woman, the Greeks and Trojans struggled at the gates of Troy.

Several authors have attempted to prove that Isis, Osiris, Typhon, Nephthys, and Aroueris (Thoth, or
Mercury) were grandchildren of the great Jewish patriarch Noah by his son Ham. But as the story of
Noah and his ark is a cosmic allegory concerning the repopulation of planets at the beginning of each
world period, this only makes it less likely that they were historical personages. According to Robert
Fludd, the sun has three properties~/i/e, light, and heat. These three vivify and vitalize the three
worlds—spiritual, intellectual, and material. Therefore, it is said "from one light, three lights," i. e. the
first three Master Masons. In all probability, Osiris represents the third, or material, aspect of solar
activity, which by its beneficent influences vitalizes and enlivens the flora and fauna of the earth.
Osiris is not the sun, but the sun is symbolic of the vital principle of Nature, which the ancients knew
as Osiris. His symbol, therefore, was an opened eye, in honor of the Great Eye of the universe, the sun,
Opposed to the active, radiant principle of impregnating fire, hear, and motion was the passive,
receptive principle of Nature.

Modern science has proved that forms ranging in magnitude from solar systems to atoms are
composed of positive, radiant nuclei surrounded by negative bodies that exist upon the emanations of
the central life. From this allegory we have the story of Solomon and his wives, for Solomon is the sun
and his wives and concubines are the planets, moons, asteroids, and other receptive bodies within his
house—the solar mansion. Isis, represented in the Song of Solomon by the dark maid of Jerusalem, is
symbolic of receptive Nature— the watery, maternal principle which creates all things out of herself
after impregnation has been achieved by the virility of the sun.

In the ancient world the year had 360 days. The five extra days were gathered together by the God of
Cosmic Intelligence to serve as the birthdays of the five gods and goddesses who are called the sons
and daughters of Ham. Upon the first of these special days Osiris was born and upon the fourth of
them Isis. (The number /our shows the relation that this goddess bears to the earth and its elements.)
Typhon, the Egyptian Demon or Spirit of the Adversary, was born upon the third day. Typhon is often
symbolized by a crocodile; sometimes his body is a combination of crocodile and hog. Isis stands for
knowledge and wisdom, and according to Plutarch the word Typhon means insolence and pride.
Egotism, self-centeredness, and pride are the deadly enemies of understanding and truth. This part of
the allegory is revealed.

After Osiris, here symbolized as the sun, had become King of Egypt and had given to his people the
full advantage of his intellectual light, he continued his path through the heavens, visiting the peoples
of other nations and converting all with whom he came in contact. Plutarch further asserts that the
Greeks recognized in Osiris the same person whom they revered under the names of Dionysos and
Bacchus. While he was away from his country, his brother, Typhon, the Evil One, like the Loki of
Scandinavia, plotted against the Sun God to destroy him. Gathering seventy-two persons as fellow
conspirators, he attained his nefarious end in a most subtle manner. He had a wonderful ornamented
box made just the size of the body of Osiris. This he brought into a banquet hall where the gods and
goddesses were feasting together. All admired the beautiful chest, and Typhon promised to give it to
the one whose body fitted it most perfectly. One after another lay down in the box, but in
disappointment

ISIS, QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

From Mosaize Historie der Hebreeuwse Kerke.

Diodorus writes of a famous inscription carved on a column at Nysa, in Arabia, wherein Isis described herself as follows:
"I am Isis, Queen of this country. I was instructed by Mercury. No one can destroy the laws which I have established. I am
the eldest daughter of Saturn, most ancient of the gods. I am the wife and sister of Osiris the King. I first made known to
mortals the use of wheat. I am the mother of Orus the King. In my honor was the city of Bubaste built. Rejoice, O Egypt,
rejoice, land that gave me birth!" (See "Morals and Dogma," by Albert Pike.)

p. 46

rose again, until at last Osiris also tried. The moment he was in the chest Typhon and his accomplices

nailed the cover down and sealed the cracks wdth molten lead. They then cast the box into the Nile,
down which it floated to the sea. Plutarch states that the date upon which this occurred was the
seventeenth day of the month Athyr, when the sun was in the constellation of Scorpio. This is most

significant, for the Scorpion is the symbol of treachery. The time when Osiris entered the chest was
also the same season that Noah entered the ark to escape from the Deluge.

Plutarch further declares that the Pans and Satyrs (the Nature spirits and elementals) first discovered
that Osiris had been murdered. These immediately raised an alarm, and from this incident the word
panic, meaningfright or amazement of the multitudes, originated. Isis, upon receiving the news of
her husband's murder, which she learned from some children who had seen the murderers making off
with the box, at once robed herself in mourning and started forth in quest of him.

At length Isis discovered that the chest had floated to the coast of Byblos. There it had lodged in the
branches of a tree, which in a short time miraculously grew up around the box. This so amazed the
king of that country that he ordered the tree to be cut down and a pillar made from its trunk to
support the roof of his palace. Isis, visiting Byblos, recovered the body of her husband, but it was
again stolen by Typhon, who cut it into fourteen parts, which he scattered all over the earth. Isis, in
despair, began gathering up the severed remains of her husband, but found only thirteen pieces. The
fourteenth part (the phallus) she reproduced in gold, for the original had fallen into the river Nile and
had been swallowed by a fish.

Typhon was later slain in battle by the son of Osiris. Some of the Egyptians believed that the souls of
the gods were taken to heaven, where they shone forth as stars. It was supposed that the soul of Isis
gleamed from the Dog Star, while Typhon became the constellation of the Bear. It is doubtful,
however, whether this idea was ever generally accepted.

Among the Egyptians, Isis is often represented with a headdress consisting of the empty throne chair
of her murdered husband, and this peculiar structure was accepted during certain dynasties as her
hieroglyphic. The headdresses of the Egyptians have great symbolic and emblematic importance, for
they represent the auric bodies of the superhuman intelligences, and are used in the same way that
the nimbus, halo, and aureole are used in Christian religious art. Frank C. Higgins, a well-known
Masonic symbolist, has astutely noted that the ornate headgears of certain gods and Pharaohs are
inclined backward at the same angle as the earth's axis. The robes, insignia, jewels, and
ornamentations of the ancient hierophants symbolized the spiritual energies radiating from the
human body. Modern science is rediscovering many of the lost secrets of Hermetic philosophy. One of
these is the ability to gauge the mental development, the soul qualities, and the physical health of an
individual from the streamers of semi-visible electric force which pour through the surface of the skin
of every human being at all times during his life. (For details concerning a scientific process for
making the auric emanations visible, see The Human Atmosphere by Dr. Walter J. Kilner.)

Isis is sometimes symbolized by the head of a cow; occasionally the entire animal is her symbol. The
first gods of the Scandinavians were licked out of blocks of ice by the Mother Cow (Audhumla), who
symbolized the principle of natural nutriment and fecundity because of her milk. Occasionally Isis is
represented as a bird. She often carries in one hand the crux ansata, the symbol of eternal life, and in
the other the flowered scepter, symbolic of her authority.

Thoth Hermes Trismegistus, the founder of Egyptian learning, the Wise Man of the ancient world,
gave to the priests and philosophers of antiquity the secrets which have been preserved to this day in
myth and legend. These allegories and emblematic figures conceal the secret formulae for spiritual,
mental, moral, and physical regeneration commonly known as the Mystic Chemistry of the Soul
(alchemy). These sublime truths were communicated to the initiates of the Mystery Schools, but were
concealed from the profane. The latter, unable to understand the abstract philosophical tenets,
worshiped the concrete sculptured idols which were emblematic of these secret truths. The wisdom
and secreq?^ of Egypt are epitomized in the Sphinx, which has preserved its secret from the seekers of
a hundred generations. The mysteries of Hermeticism, the great spiritual truths hidden from the
world by the ignorance of the world, and the keys of the secret doctrines of the ancient philosophers.

are all symbolized by the Virgin Isis. Veiled from head to foot, she reveals her wisdom only to the
tried and initiated few who have earned the right to enter her sacred presence, tear from the veiled
figure of Nature its shroud of obscurity, and stand face to face with the Divine Reality.

The explanations in these pages of the symbols peculiar to the Virgin Isis are based (unless otherwise
noted) on selections from a free translation of the fourth book of Biblioteque des Philosophes
Hermetiques, entitled "The Hermetical Signification of the Symbols and Attributes of Isis," with
interpolations by the compiler to amplify and clarify the text.

The statues of Isis were decorated with the sun, moon, and stars, and many emblems pertaining to
the earth, over which Isis was believed to rule (as the guardian spirit of Nature personified). Several
images of the goddess have been found upon which the marks of her dignity and position were still
intact. According to the ancient philosophers, she personified Universal Nature, the mother of all
productions. The deity was generally represented as a partly nude woman, often pregnant, sometimes
loosely covered with a garment either of green or black color, or of four different shades intermingled-
black, white, yellow, and red.

Apuleius describes her as follows: "In the first place, then, her most copious and long hairs, being
gradually intorted, and promiscuously scattered on her divine neck, were softly defluous. A multiform
crown, consisting of various flowers, bound the sublime summit of her head. And in the middle of the
crown, just on her forehead, there was a smooth orb resembling a mirror, or rather a white refulgent
light, which indicated that she was the moon. Vipers rising up after the manner of furrows, environed
the crown on the right hand and on the left, and Cerealian ears of corn were also extended from above.
Her garment was of many colours, and woven from the finest flax, and was at one time lucid with a
white splendour, at another yellow from the flower of crocus, and at another flaming with a rosy
redness. But that which most excessively dazzled my sight, was a very black robe, fulgid with a dark
splendour, and which, spreading round and passing under her right side, and ascending to her left
shoulder, there rose protuberant like the center of a shield, the dependent part of the robe falling in
many folds, and having small knots of fringe, gracefully flowing in its extremities. Glittering stars
were dispersed through the embroidered border of the robe, and through the whole of its surface: and
the full moon, shining in the middle of the stars, breathed forth flaming fires. Nevertheless, a crown,
wholly consisting of flowers and fruits of every kind, adhered with indivisible connexion to the border
of that conspicuous robe, in all its undulating motions. What she carried in her hands also consisted
of things of a very different nature. For her right hand, indeed, bore a brazen rattle [sistrum] through
the narrow lamina of which bent like a belt, certain rods passing, produced a sharp triple sound,
through the vibrating motion of her arm. An oblong vessel, in the shape of a boat, depended from her
left hand, on the handle of which, in that part in which it was conspicuous, an asp raised its erect head
and largely swelling neck. And shoes woven from the leaves of the victorious palm tree covered her
immortal feet."

The green color alludes to the vegetation which covers the face of the earth, and therefore represents
the robe of Nature. The black represents death and corruption as being the way to a new life and
generation. "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John iii. 3.) White,
yellow, and red signify the three principal colors of the alchemical, Hermetical, universal medicine
after the blackness of its putrefaction is over.

The ancients gave the name Isis to one of their occult medicines; therefore the description here given
relates somewhat to chemistry. Her black drape also signifies that the moon, or the lunar humidity—
the sophic universal mercury and the operating substance of Nature in alchemical terminology—has
no light of its own, but receives its light, its fire, and its vitalizing force from the sun. Isis was

THE SISTRUM.

"The sistrum is designed * * * to represent to us, that every thing must be kept in continual agitation, and never cease
from motion; that they ought to be mused and well-shaken, whenever they begin to grow drowsy as it were, and to droop
in their motion. For, say they, the sound of these sistra averts and drives away Typho; meaning hereby, that as corruption
clogs and puts a stop to the regular course of nature; so generation, by the means of motion, loosens it again, and restores
it to its former vigour. Now the outer surface of this instrument is of a convex figure, as within its circumference are
contained those four chords or bars [only three shown], which make such a rattling when they are shaken— nor is this
without its meaning; for that part of the universe which is subject to generation and corruption is contained within the
sphere of the moon; and whatever motions or changes may happen therein, they are all effected by the different
combinations of the four elementary bodies, fire, earth, water, and air —moreover, upon the upper part of the convex
surface of the sistrum is carved the effigies of a cat with a human visage, as on the lower edge of it, under those moving
chords, is engraved on the one side the face of Isis, and on the other that of Nephthys~by the faces symbolically
representing generation and corruption (which, as has been already observed, is nothing but the motion and alteration of
the four elements one amongst another),"

(From Plutarch's Isis and Osiris.)

p-47

the image or representative of the Great Works of the wise men: the Philosopher's Stone, the Elixir of
Life, and the Universal Medicine.

Other hieroglyphics seen in connection with Isis are no less curious than those already described, but
it is impossible to enumerate all, for many symbols were used interchangeably by the Egyptian
Hermetists. The goddess often wore upon her head a hat made of cypress branches, to signify
mourning for her dead husband and also for the physical death which she caused every creature to
undergo in order to receive a new life in posterity or a periodic resurrection. The head of Isis is
sometimes ornamented with a crown of gold or a garland of olive leaves, as conspicuous marks of her
sovereignty as queen of the world and mistress of the entire universe. The crown of gold signifies also
the aurific unctuosity or sulphurous fatness of the solar and vital fires which she dispenses to every
individual by a continual circulation of the elements, this circulation being symbolized by the musical
rattle which she carries in her hand. This sistrum is also the yonic symbol of purity.

A serpent interwoven among the olive leaves on her head, devouring its own tail, denotes that the
aurific unctuosity was soiled with the venom of terrestrial corruption which surrounded it and must
be mortified and purified by seven planetary circulations or purifications called/Zi/mg^ eagles
(alchemical terminology) in order to make it medicinal for the restoration of health. (Here the
emanations from the sun are recognized as a medicine for the healing of human ills.) The seven

planetary circulations are represented by the circumambulations of the Masonic lodge; by the

marching of the Jewish priests seven times around the walls of Jericho, and of the Mohammedan
priests seven times around the Kabba at Mecca. From the crown of gold project three horns of plenty,
signifying the abundance of the gifts of Nature proceeding from one root having its origin in the
heavens (head of Isis).

In this figure the pagan naturalists represent all the vital powers of the three kingdoms and families
of sublunary nature-mineral, plant, and animal (man considered as an animal). At one of her ears was
the moon and at the other the sun, to indicate that these two were the agent and patient, or father and
mother principles of all natural objects; and that Isis, or Nature, makes use of these two luminaries to
communicate her powers to the whole empire of animals, vegetables, and minerals. On the back of
her neck were the characters of the planets and the signs of the zodiac which assisted the planets in
their functions. This signified that the heavenly influences directed the destinies of the principles and
sperms of all things, because they were the governors of all sublunary bodies, which they transformed
into little worlds made in the image of the greater universe.

Isis holds in her right hand a small sailing ship with the spindle of a spinning wheel for its mast. From
the top of the mast projects a water jug, its handle shaped like a serpent swelled with venom. This
indicates that Isis steers the bark of life, full of troubles and miseries, on the stormy ocean of Time.
The spindle symbolizes the fact that she spins and cuts the thread of Life. These emblems further
signify that Isis abounds in humidity, by means of which she nourishes all natural bodies, preserving
them from the heat of the sun by humidifying them with nutritious moisture from the atmosphere.
Moisture supports vegetation, but this subtle humidity (life ether) is always more or less infected by
some venom proceeding from corruption or decay. It must be purified by being brought into contact
with the invisible cleansing fire of Nature. This fire digests, perfects, and revitalizes this substance, in
order that the humidity may become a universal medicine to heal and renew all the bodies in Nature.

The serpent throws off its skin annually and is thereby renewed (symbolic of the resurrection of the
spiritual life from the material nature). This renewal of the earth takes place every spring, when the
vivifying spirit of the sun returns to the countries of the Northern Hemisphere,

The symbolic Virgin carries in her left hand a sistrum and a cymbal, or square frame of metal, which
when struck gives the key-note of Nature (Fa); sometimes also an olive branch, to indicate the
harmony she preserves among natural things with her regenerating power. By the processes of death
and corruption she gives life to a number of creatures of diverse forms through periods of perpetual
change. The cymbal is made square instead of the usual triangular shape in order to symbolize that all
things are transmuted and regenerated according to the harmony of the four elements.

Dr. Sigismund Bacstrom believed that if a physician could establish harmony among the elements of
earth, fire, air, and water, and unite them into a stone (the Philosopher's Stone) symbolized by the
six-pointed star or two interlaced triangles, he would possess the means of healing all disease. Dr.
Bacstrom further stated that there was no doubt in his mind that the universal, omnipresent fire
(spirit) of Nature: "does all and is all in all." By attraction, repulsion, motion, heat, sublimation,
evaporation, exsiccation, inspissation, coagulation, and fixation, the Universal Fire (Spirit)
manipulates matter, and manifests throughout creation. Any individual who can understand these
principles and adapt them to the three departments of Nature becomes a true philosopher.

From the right breast of Isis protruded a bunch of grapes and from, the left an ear of corn or a sheaf
of wheat, golden in color. These indicate that Nature is the source of nutrition for plant, animal, and
human life, nourishing all things from herself. The golden color in the wheat (corn) indicates that in
the sunlight or spiritual gold is concealed the first sperm of all life.

On the girdle surrounding the upper part of the body of the statue appear a number of mysterious
emblems. The girdle is joined together in front by four golden plates (the elements), placed in the
form of a square. This signified that Isis, or Nature, the first matter (alchemical terminology), was the
essence- of the four elements (life, light, heat, and force), which quintessence generated all things.
Numerous stars are represented on this girdle, thereby indicating their influence in darkness as well
as the influence of the sun in light. Isis is the Virgin immortalized in the constellation of Virgo, where
the World Mother is placed with the serpent under her feet and a crown, of stars on her head. In her
arms she carries a sheaf of grain and sometimes the young Sun God.

The statue of Isis was placed on a pedestal of dark stone ornamented with rams' heads. Her feet trod
upon a number of venomous reptiles. This indicates that Nature has power to free from acidity or
saltness all corrosives and to overcome all impurities from terrestrial corruption adhering to bodies.
The rams' heads indicate that the most auspicious time for the generation of life is during the period
when the sun passes through the sign of Aries. The serpents under her feet indicate that Nature is
inclined to preserve life and to heal disease by expelling impurities and corruption.

In this sense the axioms known to the ancient philosophers are verified; namely:

Nature contains Nature,

Nature rejoices in her own nature,

Nature surmounts Nature;

Nature cannot be amended but in her own nature.

Therefore, in contemplating the statue of Isis, we must not lose sight of the occult sense of its
allegories; otherwise, the Virgin remains an inexplicable enigma.

From a golden ring on her left arm a line descends, to the end of which is suspended a deep box filled
with flaming coals and incense. Isis, or Nature personified, carries with her the sacred fire, religiously
preserved and kept burning in. a special temple by the vestal virgins. This fire is the genuine,
immortal flame of Nature—ethereal, essential, the author of life. The inconsumable oil; the balsam of
life, so much praised by the wise and so often referred to in the Scriptures, is frequently symbolized as
the fuel of this immortal flame.

From the right arm of the figure also descends a thread, to the end of which is fastened a pair of scales,
to denote the exactitude of Nature in her weights and measures. Isis is often represented as the
symbol of justice, because Nature is eternally consistent.

THOTH, THE DOG-HEADED.

From Lenoir's La Franche-Maconnerie.

Aroueris, or Thoth, one of the five immortals, protected the infant Horus from the wrath of Typhon after the murder of
Osiris. He also revised the ancient Egyptian calendar by increasing the year from 360 days to 365. Thoth Hermes was
called "The Dog-Headed" because of his faithfulness and integrity. He is shown crowned with a solar nimbus, carrying in
one hand the Crux Ansata, the symbol of eternal life, and in the other a serpent- wound staff symbolic of his dignity as
counselor of the gods.

Isis is shown with her son Horus in her arms. She is crowned with the lunar orb, ornamented with the horns of rams or
bulls. Orus, or Horus as he is more generally known, was the son of Isis and Osiris. He was the god of time, hours, days,
and this narrow span of life recognized as mortal existence. In all probability, the four sons of Horus represent the four
kingdoms of Nature. It was Horus who finally avenged the murder of his father, Osiris, by slaying Typhon, the spirit of
Evil.

THE EGYPTIAN MADONNA.

From Lenoir's La Franche-Maconnerie.

p. 48

The World Virgin is sometimes shown standing between two great pillars—the Jachin and Boaz of

Freemasonry~symbolizing the fact that Nature attains productivity by means of polarity. As wisdom
personified, Isis stands between the pillars of opposites, demonstrating that understanding is always
found at the point of equilibrium and that truth is often crucified between the two thieves of apparent
contradiction.

The sheen of gold in her dark hair indicates that while she is lunar, her power is due to the sun's rays,
from which she secures her ruddy complexion. As the moon is robed in the reflected light of the sun,
so Isis, like the virgin of Revelation, is clothed in the glory of solar luminosity. Apuleius states that
while he was sleeping he beheld the venerable goddess Isis rising out of the ocean. The ancients
realized that the primary forms of life first came out of water, and modem science concurs in this view.
H. G. Wells, in his Outline of History, describing primitive life on the earth, states: "But though the
ocean and intertidal water already swarmed with life, the land above the high-tide line was still, so far
as we can guess, a stony wilderness without a trace of life." In the next chapter he adds: "Wherever
the shore-line ran there was life, and that life went on in and by and with water as its home, its
medium, and its fundamental necessity." The ancients believed that the universal sperm proceeded
from warm vapor, humid but fiery. The veiled Isis, whose very coverings represent vapor, is symbolic
of this humidity, which is the carrier or vehicle for the sperm life of the sun, represented by a child in
her arms. Because the sun, moon, and stars in setting appear to sink into the sea and also because the
water receives their rays into itself, the sea was believed to be the breeding ground for the sperm of
living things. This sperm is generated from the combination of the influences of the celestial bodies;
hence Isis is sometimes represented as pregnant.

Frequently the statue of Isis was accompanied by the figure of a large black and white ox. The ox
represents either Osiris as Taurus, the bull of the zodiac, or Apis, an animal sacred to Osiris because
of its peculiar markings and colorings. Among the Egyptians, the bull was a beast of burden. Hence
the presence of the animal was a reminder of the labors patiently performed by Nature that all
creatures may have life and health. Harpocrates, the God of Silence, holding his lingers to his mouth,
often accompanies the statue of Isis. He warns all to keep the secrets of the wise from those unfit to
know them.

The Druids of Britain and Gaul had a deep knowledge concerning the mysteries of Isis and worshiped
her under the symbol of the moon. Godfrey Higgins considers it a mistake to regard Isis as
synonymous with the moon. The moon was chosen for Isis because of its dominion over water. The
Druids considered the sun to be the father and the moon the mother of all things. By means of these
symbols they worshiped Universal Nature.

The figure of Isis is sometimes used to represent the occult and magical arts, such as necromancy,
invocation, sorcery, and thaumaturgy. In one of the myths concerning her, Isis is said to have
conjured the invincible God of Eternities, Ra, to tell her his secret and sacred name, which he did.
This name is equivalent to the Lost Word of Masonry. By means of this Word, a magician can demand
obedience from the invisible and superior deities. The priests of Isis became adepts in the use of the
unseen forces of Nature. They understood hypnotism, mesmerism, and similar practices long before
the modem world dreamed of their existence.

Plutarch describes the requisites of a follower of Isis in this manner: "For as 'tis not the length of the
beard, or the coarseness of the habit which makes a philosopher, so neither will those frequent
shavings, or the mere wearing [of] a linen vestment constitute a votary of Isis; but he alone is a true
servant or follower of this Goddess, who after he has heard, and been made acquainted in a proper
manner with the history of the actions of these Gods, searches into the hidden truths which he
concealed under them, and examines the whole by the dictates of reason and philosophy."

During the Middle Ages the troubadours of Central Europe preserved in song the legends of this

Egyptian goddess. They composed sonnets to the most beautiful woman in all the world. Though few
ever discovered her identity, she was Sophia, the Virgin of Wisdom, whom all the philosophers of the
world have wooed. Isis represents the mystery of motherhood, which the ancients recognized as the
most apparent proof of Nature's omniscient wisdom and God's overshadowing power. To the modem
seeker she is the epitome of the Great Unknown, and only those who unveil her will be able to solve
the mysteries of life, death, generation, and regeneration.

MUMMIFICATION OF THE EGYPTIAN DEAD

Servius, commenting on Virgil's ^nezd, observes that "the wise Egyptians took care to embalm their
bodies, and deposit them in catacombs, in order that the soul might be preserved for a long time in
connection with the body, and might not soon be alienated; while the Romans, with an opposite
design, committed the remains of their dead to the funeral pile, intending that the vital spark might
immediately be restored to the general element, or return to its pristine nature." (From Prichard's An
Analysis of the Egyptian Mythology.)

No complete records are available which give the secret doctrine of the Egyptians concerning the
relationship existing between the spirit, or consciousness, and the body which it inhabited. It is
reasonably certain, however, that Pythagoras, who had been initiated in the Egyptian temples, when
he promulgated the doctrine of metempsychosis, restated, in part at least, the teachings of the
Egyptian initiates. The popular supposition that the Egyptians mummified their dead in order to
preserve the form for a physical resurrection is untenable in the light of modern knowledge regarding
their philosophy of death. In the fourth book of On Abstinence from Animal Food, Porphyry
describes an Egyptian custom of purifying the dead by removing the contents of the abdominal cavity,
which they placed in a separate chest. He then reproduces the following oration which had been
translated out of the Egyptian tongue by Euphantus: "O sovereign Sun, and all ye Gods who impart
life to men, receive me, and deliver me to the eternal Gods as a cohabitant. For I have always piously
worshipped those divinities which were pointed out to me by my parents as long as I lived in this age,
and have likewise always honored those who procreated my body. And, with respect to other men, I
have never slain any one, nor defrauded any one of what he deposited with me, nor have I committed
any other atrocious deed. If, therefore, during my life I have acted erroneously, by eating or drinking
things which it is unlawful to cat or drink, I have not erred through myself, but through these"
(pointing to the chest which contained the viscera). The removal of the organs identified as the seat of
the appetites was considered equivalent to the purification of the body from their evil influences.

So literally did the early Christians interpret their Scriptures that they preserved the bodies of their
dead by pickling them in salt water, so that on the day of resurrection the spirit of the dead might
reenter a complete and perfectly preserved body. Believing that the incisions necessary to the
embalming process and the removal of the internal organs would prevent the return of the spirit to its
body, the Christians buried their dead without resorting to the more elaborate mummification
methods employed by the Egyptian morticians.

In his work on Egyptian Magic, S.S.D.D. hazards the following speculation concerning the esoteric
purposes behind the practice of mummification. "There is every reason to suppose," he says, "that
only those who had received some grade of initiation were mummified; for it is certain that, in the
eyes of the Egyptians, mummification effectually prevented reincarnation. Reincarnation was
necessary to imperfect souls, to those who had failed to pass the tests of initiation; but for those who
had the Will and the capacity to enter the Secret Adytum, there was seldom necessity for that
liberation of the soul which is said to be effected by the destruction of the body. The body of the
Initiate was therefore preserved after death as a species of Talisman or material basis for the
manifestation of the Soul upon earth."

During the period of its inception mummification was limited to the Pharaoh and such other persons
of royal rank as presumably partook of the attributes of the great Osiris, the divine, mummified King
of the Egyptian Underworld.

OSIRIS, KING OF THE UNDERWORLD.

Osiris is often represented with the lower par, of his body enclosed in a mummy case or wrapped about with funeral
bandages. Man's spirit consists of three distinct parts, only one of which incarnates in physical form. The human body was
considered to be a tomb or sepulcher of this incarnating spirit. Therefore Osiris, a symbol of the incarnating ego, was
represented with the lower half of his body mummified to indicate that he was the living spirit of man enclosed within the
material form symbolized by the mummy case.

There is a romance between the active principle of God and the passive principle of Nature. From the union of these two
principles is produced the rational creation. Man is a composite creature. From his Father (the active principle) he
inherits his Divine Spirit, the fire of aspiration—that immortal part of himself which rises triumphant from the broken clay
of mortality: that part which remains after the natural organisms have disintegrated or have been regenerated. From his
Mother (the passive principle) he inherits his body—that part over which the laws of Nature have control: his humanity,
his mortal personality, his appetites, his feelings, and his emotions. The Egyptians also believed that Osiris was the river
Nile and that Isis (his sister-wife) was the contiguous land, which, when inundated by the river, bore fruit and harvest.
The murky water of the Nile were believed to account for the blackness of Osiris, who was generally symbolized as being of
ebony hue.

p-49

The Sun, A Universal Deity

THE adoration of the sun was one of the earhest and most natural forms of rehgious expression.
Complex modern theologies are merely involvements and amplifications of this simple aboriginal
belief. The primitive mind, recognizing the beneficent power of the solar orb, adored it as the proxy of
the Supreme Deity. Concerning the origin of sun worship, Albert Pike makes the following concise
statement in his Morals and Dogma: "To them [aboriginal peoples] he [the sun] was the innate fire of
bodies, the fire of Nature. Author of Life, heat, and ignition, he was to them the efficient cause of all
generation, for without him there was no movement, no existence, no form. He was to them immense,
indivisible, imperishable, and everywhere present. It was their need of light, and of his creative
energy, that was felt by all men; and nothing was more fearful to them than his absence. His
beneficent influences caused his identification with the Principle of Good; and the BRAHMA of the
Hindus, and MITHRAS of the Persians, and ATHOM, AMUN, PHTHA, and OSIRIS, of the Egyptians,
the BEL of the Chaldeans, the ADONAI of the Phoenicians, the ADONIS and APOLLO of the Greeks,
became but personifications of the Sun, the regenerating Principle, image of that fecundity which
perpetuates and rejuvenates the world's existence."

Among all the nations of antiquity, altars, mounds, and temples were dedicated to the worship of the
orb of day. The ruins of these sacred places yet remain, notable among them being the pyramids of
Yucatan and Egypt, the snake mounds of the American Indians, the Zikkurats of Babylon and Chaldea,
the round towers of Ireland, and the massive rings of uncut stone in Britain and Normandy. The
Tower of Babel, which, according to the Scriptures, was built so that man might reach up to God, was
probably an astronomical observatory.

Many early priests and prophets, both pagan and Christian, were versed in astronomy and astrology;
their writings are best understood when read in the light of these ancient sciences. With the growth of
man's knowledge of the constitution and periodicity of the heavenly bodies, astronomical principles
and terminology were introduced into his religious systems. The tutelary gods were given planetary
thrones, the celestial bodies being named after the deities assigned to them. The fixed stars were
divided into constellations, and through these constellations wandered the sun and its planets, the
latter with their accompanying satellites.

THE SOLAR TRINITY

The sun, as supreme among the celestial bodies visible to the astronomers of antiquity, was assigned
to the highest of the gods and became symbolic of the supreme authority of the Creator Himself.
From a deep philosophic consideration of the powers and principles of the sun has come the concept
of the Trinity as it is understood in the world today. The tenet of a Triune Divinity is not peculiar to
Christian or Mosaic theology, but forms a conspicuous part of the dogma of the greatest religions of
both ancient and modern times. The Persians, Hindus, Babylonians, and Egyptians had their Trinities.
In every instance these represented the threefold form of one Supreme Intelligence. In modern
Masonry, the Deity is symbolized by an equilateral triangle, its three sides representing the primary
manifestations of the Eternal One who is Himself represented as a tiny flame, called by the Hebrews
Yod ('). Jakob Bohme, the Teutonic mystic, calls the Trinity The Three Witnesses, by means of which
the Invisible is made known to the visible, tangible universe.

The origin of the Trinity is obvious to anyone who will observe the daily manifestations of the sun.
This orb, being the symbol of all Light, has three distinct phases: rising, midday, and setting. The
philosophers therefore divided the life of all things into three distinct parts: growth, maturity, and
decay. Between the twilight of dawn and the twilight of evening is the high noon of resplendent glory.

God the Father, the Creator of the world, is symboHzed by the dawn. His color is blue, because the sun
rising in the morning is veiled in blue mist. God the Son he Illuminating One sent to bear witness of
His Father before all the worlds, is the celestial globe at noonday, radiant and magnificent, the maned
Lion of Judah, the Golden-haired Savior of the World. Yellow is His color and His power is without
end. God the Holy Ghost is the sunset phase, when the orb of day, robed in flaming red, rests for a
moment upon the horizon line and then vanishes into the darkness of the night to wandering the
lower worlds and later rise again triumphant from the embrace of darkness.

To the Egyptians the sun was the symbol of immortality, for, while it died each night, it rose again
with each ensuing dawn. Not only has the sun this diurnal activity, but it also has its annual
pilgrimage, during which time it passes successively through the twelve celestial houses of the
heavens, remaining in each for thirty days. Added to these it has a third path of travel, which is called
the precession of the equinoxes, in which it retrogrades around the zodiac through the twelve signs at
the rate of one degree every seventy-two years.

Concerning the annual passage of the sun through the twelve houses of the heavens, Robert Hewitt
Brown, 32°, makes the following statement: "The Sun, as he pursued his way among these 'living
creatures' of the zodiac, was said, in allegorical language, either to assume the nature of or to triumph
over the sign he entered. The sun thus became a Bull in Taurus, and was worshipped as such by the
Egyptians under the name of Apis, and by the Assyrians as Bel, Baal, or Bui. In Leo the sun became a
Lion-slayer, Hercules, and an Archer in Sagittarius. In Pisces, the Fishes, he was a fish—Dagon, or
Vishnu, the fish-god of the Philistines and Hindoos."

A careful analysis of the religious systems of pagandom uncovers much evidence of the fact that its
priests served the solar energy and that their Supreme Deity was in every case this Divine Light
personified. Godfrey Higgins, after thirty years of inquiry into the origin of religious beliefs, is of the
opinion that "All the Gods of antiquity resolved themselves into the solar fire, sometimes itself as God,
or sometimes an emblem or shekinah of that higher principle, known by the name of the creative
Being or God."

The Egyptian priests in many of their ceremonies wore the skins of lions, which were symbols of the
solar orb, owing to the fact that the sun is exalted, dignified, and most fortunately placed in the
constellation of Leo, which he rules and which was at one time the keystone of the celestial arch.
Again, Hercules is the Solar Deity, for as this mighty hunter performed his twelve labors, so the sun,
in traversing the twelve houses of the zodiacal band, performs during his pilgrimage twelve essential
and benevolent labors for the human race and for Nature in general, Hercules, like the Egyptian
priests, wore the skin of a lion for a girdle. Samson, the Hebrew hero, as his

THE LION OF THE SUN.

From Maurice 's Indian Antiquities.

The sun rising over the back of the hon or, astrologically, in the back of the hon, has always been considered symbohc of
power and rulership. A symbol very similar to the one above appears on the flag of Persia, whose people have always been
sun worshipers. Kings and emperors have frequently associated their terrestrial power with the celestial Power of the solar
orb, and have accepted the sun, or one of its symbolic beasts or birds, as their emblem. Witness the lion of the Great
Mogul and the eagles of Caesar and Napoleon.

THE WINGED GLOBE OF EGYPT.

From Maurice 's Indian Antiquities.

This symbol, which appears over the Pylons or gates of many Egyptian palaces and temples, is emblematic of the three
persons of the Egyptian Trinity. The wings, the serpents, and the solar orb are the insignia of Ammon, Ra, and Osiris.

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name implies, is also a solar deity. His fight with the Nubian lion, his battles with the Philistines, who
represent the Powers of Darkness, and his memorable feat of carrying off the gates of Gaza, all refer
to aspects of solar activity. Many of the ancient peoples had more than one solar deity; in fact, all of
the gods and goddesses were supposed to partake, in part at least, of the sun's effulgence.

The golden ornaments used by the priestcraft of the various world religions are again a subtle
reference to the solar energy, as are also the crowns of kings. In ancient times, crowns had a number
of points extending outward like the rays of the sun, but modern conventionalism has, in many cases,
either removed the points or else bent: them inward, gathered them together, and placed an orb or
cross upon the point where they meet. Many of the ancient prophets, philosophers, and dignitaries
carried a scepter, the upper end of which bore a representation of the solar globe surrounded by
emanating rays. All the kingdoms of earth were but copies of the kingdoms of Heaven, and the
kingdoms of Heaven were best symbolized by the solar kingdom, in which the sun was the supreme
ruler, the planets his privy council, and all Nature the subjects of his empire.

Many deities have been associated with the sun. The Greeks believed that Apollo, Bacchus, Dionysos,
Sabazius, Hercules, Jason, Ulysses, Zeus, Uranus, and Vulcan partook of either the visible or invisible
attributes of the sun. The Norwegians regarded Balder the Beautiful as a solar deity, and Odin is often
connected with the celestial orb, especially because of his one eye. Among the Egyptians, Osiris, Ra,
Anubis, Hermes, and even the mysterious Ammon himself had points of resemblance with the solar
disc. Isis was the mother of the sun, and even Typhon, the Destroyer, was supposed to be a form of
solar energy. The Egyptian sun myth finally centered around the person of a mysterious deity called
Serapis. The two Central American deities, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl, while often associated
with the winds, were also undoubtedly solar gods.

In Masonry the sun has many symbols. One expression of the solar energy is Solomon, whose name
SOL-OM-ON is the name for the Supreme Light in three different languages. Hiram Abiff, the
CHiram (Hiram) of the Chaldees, is also a solar deity, and the story of his attack and murder by the
Ruffians, with its solar interpretation, will be found in the chapter The Hiramic Legend. A striking
example of the important part which the sun plays in the symbols and rituals of Freemasonry is given
by George Oliver, D.D., in his Dictionary of Symbolical Masonry, as follows:

"The sun rises in the east, and in the east is the place for the Worshipful Master. As the sun is the
source of all light and warmth, so should the Worshipful Master enliven and warm the brethren to
their work. Among the ancient Egyptians the sun was the symbol of divine providence." The
hierophants of the Mysteries were adorned with many, insignia emblematic of solar power. The
sunbursts of gilt embroidery on the back of the vestments of the Catholic priesthood signify that the
priest is also an emissary and representative of Sol Invictus.

CHRISTIANITY AND THE SUN

For reasons which they doubtless considered sufficient, those who chronicled the life and acts of
Jesus found it advisable to metamorphose him into a solar deity. The historical Jesus was forgotten;
nearly all the salient incidents recorded in the four Gospels have their correlations in the movements,
phases, or functions of the heavenly bodies.

Among other allegories borrowed by Christianity from pagan antiquity is the story of the beautiful,
blue-eyed Sun God, with His golden hair falling upon His shoulders, robed from head to foot in
spotless white and carrying in His arms the Lamb of God, symbolic of the vernal equinox. This
handsome youth is a composite of Apollo, Osiris, Orpheus, Mithras, and Bacchus, for He has certain
characteristics in common with each of these pagan deities.

The philosophers of Greece and Egypt divided the life of the sun during the year into four parts;
therefore they symbolized the Solar Man by four different figures. When He was born in the winter
solstice, the Sun God was symbolized as a dependent infant who in some mysterious manner had
managed to escape the Powers of Darkness seeking to destroy Him while He was still in the cradle of
winter. The sun, being weak at this season of the year, had no golden rays (or locks of hair), but the
survival of the light through the darkness of winter was symbolized by one tiny hair which alone

adorned the head of the Celestial Child. (As the birth of the sun took place in Capricorn, it was often
represented as being suckled by a goat.)

At the vernal equinox, the sun had grown to be a beautiful youth. His golden hair hung in ringlets on
his shoulders and his light, as Schiller said, extended to all parts of infinity. At the summer solstice,
the sun became a strong man, heavily bearded, who, in the prime of maturity, symbolized the fact
that Nature at this period of the year is strongest and most fecund. At the autumnal equinox, the sun
was pictured as an aged man, shuffling along with bended back and whitened locks into the oblivion
of winter darkness. Thus, twelve months were assigned to the sun as the length of its life. During this
period it circled the twelve signs of the zodiac in a magnificent triumphal march. When fall came, it
entered, like Samson, into the house of Delilah (Virgo), where its rays were cut off and it lost its
strength. In Masonry, the cruel winter months are symbolized by three murderers who sought to
destroy the God of Light and Truth.

The coming of the sun was hailed with joy; the time of its departure was viewed as a period to be set
aside for sorrow and unhappiness. This glorious, radiant orb of day, the true light "which lighteth
every man who cometh into the world," the supreme benefactor, who raised all things from the dead,
who fed the hungry multitudes, who stilled the tempest, who after dying rose again and restored all
things to life—this Supreme Spirit of humanitarianism and philanthropy is known to Christendom as
Christ, the Redeemer of worlds, the Only Begotten of The Father, the Word made Flesh, and the Hope
of Glory.

THE BIRTHDAY OF THE SUN

The pagans set aside the 25th of December as the birthday of the Solar Man. They rejoiced, feasted,
gathered in processions, and made offerings in the temples. The darkness of winter was over and the
glorious son of light was returning to the Northern Hemisphere. With his last effort the old Sun God
had torn down the house of the Philistines (the Spirits of Darkness) and had cleared the way for the
new sun who was born that day from the depths of the earth amidst the symbolic beasts of the lower
world.

Concerning this season of celebration, an anonymous Master of Arts of Balliol College, Oxford, in his
scholarly treatise. Mankind Their Origin and Destiny, says: "The Romans also had their solar festival,
and their games of the circus in honor of the birth of the god of day. It took place the eighth day
before the kalends of January—that is, on December 25. Servius, in his commentary on verse 720 of
the seventh book of the ^neid, in which Virgil speaks of the new sun, says that, properly speaking,
the sun is new on the 8th of the Kalends of January-that is, December 25. In the time of Leo I. (Leo,
Serm. xxi., De Nativ. Dom. p. 148), some of the Fathers of the Church said that 'what rendered the
festival (of Christmas) venerable was less the birth of Jesus Christ than the return, and, as they
expressed it, the new birth of the sun.' It was on the same day that the birth of the Invincible Sun
(Natalis solis invicti), was celebrated at Rome, as can be seen in the Roman calendars, published in
the reign of Constantine and of Julian (Hymn to the Sun, p. 155). This epithet Tnvictus' is the same as
the Persians gave to this same god, whom they worshipped by the name of Mithra, and whom they
caused to be born in a grotto (Justin. Dial, cum Trips, p. 305), just as he is represented as being bom
in a stable, under the name of Christ, by the Christians."

Concerning the Catholic Feast of the Assumption and its parallel in astronomy, the same author adds:
"At the end of eight months, when the sun-god, having increased, traverses the eighth sign, he
absorbs the celestial Virgin in his fiery course, and she disappears in the midst of the luminous rays
and the glory of her son. This phenomenon, which takes place every year about the middle of August,
gave rise to a festival which still exists, and in which it is supposed that the mother of Christ, laying
aside her earthly life, is associated with the glory of her son, and is placed at his side in the heavens.
The Roman calendar of Columella (Col. 1. II. cap. ii. p. 429) marks the death or disappearance of

Virgo at this period. The sun, he says, passes into Virgo on the thirteenth day before the kalends of
September. This is where the Cathohcs place the Feast of the Assumption, or the reunion of the Virgin
to her Son. This feast

THE THREE SUNS.

From Lilly's Astrological Predictions for 1648, 1649, and 1650.)

The following description of this phenomenon appears in a letter written by Jeremiah Shakerley in Lancashire, March 4th,
i648:~"On Monday the 28th of February last, there arose with the Sun two Parelii, on either side one; their distance from
him was by estimation, about ten degrees; they continued still of the same distance from the Zenith, or height above the
Horizon, that the Sun did; and from the parts averse to the Sun, there seemed to issue out certain bright rays, not unlike
those which the Sun sendeth from behind a cloud, but brighter. The parts of these Parelii which were toward the Sun,
were of a mixt colour, wherein green and red were most predominant. A little above them was a thin rainbow, scarcely
discernible, of a bright colour, with the concave towards the Sun, and the ends thereof seeming to touch the Parelii: Above
that, in a clear diaphanous ayr, [air], appeared another conspicuous Rainbow, beautified with divers colours; it was as
neer as I could discern to the Zenith; it seemed of something a lesser radius than the other, they being back to back, yet a
pretty way between. At or neer the apparent time of the full Moon, they vanished, leaving abundance of terror and
amazement in those that saw them. (See William Lilly.)

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was formerly called the feast of the Passage of the Virgin (Beausobre, tome i. p. 350); and in the
Library of the Fathers (Bibl. Part. vol. II. part ii. p. 212) we have an account of the Passage of the
Blessed Virgin. The ancient Greeks and Romans fix the assumption of Astraea, who is also this same
Virgin, on that day."

This Virgin mother, giving birth to the Sun God which Christianity has so faithfully preserved, is a
reminder of the inscription concerning her Egyptian prototype, Isis, which appeared on the Temple of
Sais: "The fruit which I have brought forth is the Sun." While the Virgin was associated with the
moon by the early pagans, there is no doubt that they also understood her position as a constellation
in the heavens, for nearly all the peoples of antiquity credit her as being the mother of the sun, and
they realized that although the moon could not occupy that position, the sign of Virgo could, and did,
give birth to the sun out of her side on the 25th day of December. Albertus Magnus states, "We know
that the sign of the Celestial Virgin rose over the Horizon at the moment at which we fix the birth of
our Lord Jesus Christ.

Among certain of the Arabian and Persian astronomers the three stars forming the sword belt of
Orion were called the Magi who came to pay homage to the young Sun God. The author of Mankind—
Their Origin and Destiny contributes the following additional information: "In Cancer, which had
risen to the meridian at midnight, is the constellation of the Stable and of the Ass. The ancients called
it Prgesepe Jovis. In the north the stars of the Bear are seen, called by the Arabians Martha and Mary,
and also the coffin of Lazarus. "Thus the esotericism of pagandom was embodied in Christianity,

although its keys are lost. The Christian church blindly follows ancient customs, and when asked for a
reason gives superficial and unsatisfactory explanations, either forgetting or ignoring the indisputable
fact that each religion is based upon the secret doctrines of its predecessor.

THE THREE SUNS

The solar orb, like the nature of man, was divided by the ancient sages into three separate bodies.
According to the mystics, there are three suns in each solar system, analogous to the three centers of
life in each individual constitution. These are called three lights: the spiritual sun, the intellectual or
soular sun, and the material sun (now symbolized in Freemasonry by three candles). The spiritual
sun manifests the power of God the Father; the soular sun radiates the life of God the Son; and the
material sun is the vehicle of manifestation for God the Holy Spirit. Man's nature was divided by the
mystics into three distinct parts: spirit, soul, and body. His physical body was unfolded and vitalized
by the material sun; his spiritual nature was illuminated by the spiritual sun; and his intellectual
nature was redeemed by the true light of grace— the soular sun. The alignment of these three globes
in the heavens was one explanation offered for the peculiar fact that the orbits of the planets are not
circular but elliptical.

The pagan priests always considered the solar system as a Grand Man, and drew their analogy of
these three centers of activity from the three main centers of life in the human body: the brain, the
heart, and the generative system. The Transfiguration of Jesus describes three tabernacles, the largest
being in the center (the heart), and a smaller one on either side (the brain and the generative system).
It is possible that the philosophical hypothesis of the existence of the three suns is based upon a
peculiar natural phenomenon which has occurred many times in history. In the fifty- first year after
Christ three suns were seen at once in the sky and also in the sixty-sixth year. In the sixty-ninth year,
two suns were seen together. According to William Lilly, between the years 1156 and 1648 twenty
similar occurrences were recorded.

Recognizing the sun as the supreme benefactor of the material world, Hermetists believed that there
was a spiritual sun which ministered to the needs of the invisible and divine part of Nature—human
and universal. Anent this subject, the great Paracelsus wrote: "There is an earthly sun, which is the
cause of all heat, and all who are able to see may see the sun; and those who are blind and cannot see
him may feel his heat. There is an Eternal Sun, which is the source of all wisdom, and those whose
spiritual senses have awakened to life will see that sun and be conscious of His existence; but those
who have not attained spiritual consciousness may yet feel His power by an inner faculty which is
called Intuition."

Certain Rosicrucian scholars have given special appellations to these three phases of the sun: the
spiritual sun they called Vulcan; the soular and intellectual sun, Christ and Lucifer respectively; and
the material sun, the Jewish Demiurgus Jehovah. Lucifer here represents the intellectual mind
without the illumination of the spiritual mind; therefore it is "the false light. " The false light is finally
overcome and redeemed by the true light of the soul, called the Second Logos or Christ. The secret
processes by which the Luciferian intellect is transmuted into the Christly intellect constitute one of
the great secrets of alchemy, and are symbolized by the process of transmuting base metals into gold.

In the rare treatise The Secret Symbols of The Rosicrucians, Franz Hartmann defines the sun
alchemically as: "The symbol of Wisdom. The Centre of Power or Heart of things. The Sun is a centre
of energy and a storehouse of power. Each living being contains within itself a centre of life, which
may grow to be a Sun. In the heart of the regenerated, the divine power, stimulated by the Light of the
Logos, grows into a Sun which illuminates his mind." In a note, the same author amplifies his
description by adding: "The terrestrial sun is the image or reflection of the invisible celestial sun; the
former is in the realm of Spirit what the latter is in the realm of Matter; but the latter receives its
power from the former."

In the majority of cases, the reUgions of antiquity agree that the material visible sun was a reflector

rather than a source of power. The sun was sometimes represented as a shield carried on the arm of
the Sun God, as for example, Frey, the Scandinavian Solar Deity. This sun reflected the light of the
invisible spiritual sun, which was the true source of life, light, and truth. The physical nature of the
universe is receptive; it is a realm of effects. The invisible causes of these effects belong to the spiritual
world. Hence, the spiritual world is the sphere of causation; the material world is the sphere of effects;
while the intellectual—or soul—world is the sphere of mediation. Thus Christ, the personified higher
intellect and soul nature, is called "the Mediator" who, by virtue of His position and power, says: "No
man cometh to the Father, but by me."

What the sun is to the solar system, the spirit is to the bodies of man; for his natures, organs, and
functions are as planets surrounding the central life (or sun) and living upon its emanations. The
solar power in man is divided into three parts, which are termed the threefold human spirit of man.
All three of these spiritual natures are said to be radiant and transcendent; united, they form the
Divinity in man. Man's threefold lower nature— consisting of his physical organism, his emotional
nature, and his mental faculties— reflects the light of his threefold Divinity and bears witness of It in
the physical world. Man's three bodies are symbolized by an upright triangle; his threefold spiritual
nature by an inverted triangle. These two triangles, when united in the form of a six-pointed star,
were called by the Jews "the Star of David," "the Signet of Solomon," and are more commonly known
today as "the Star of Zion." These triangles symbolize the spiritual and material universes linked
together in the constitution of the human creature, who partakes of both Nature and Divinity. Man's
animal nature partakes of the earth; his divine nature of the heavens; his human nature of the
mediator.

THE CELESTIAL INHABITANTS OF THE SUN

The Rosicrucians and the lUuminati, describing the angels, archangels, and other celestial creatures,
declared that they resembled small suns, being centers of radiant energy surrounded by streamers of
Vrilic force. From these outpouring streamers of force is derived the popular belief that angels have
wings. These wings are corona-like fans of light, by means of which the celestial creatures propel
themselves through the subtle essences of the superphysical worlds.

True mystics are unanimous in their denial of the theory that the angels and archangels are human in
form, as so often pictured. A human figure would be utterly useless in the ethereal substances
through which they manifest. Science has long debated the probability of the other planers being
inhabited. Objections to the idea are based upon the argument that creatures with human organisms
could nor possibly exist in the environments of Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. This argument
fails to take into account Nature's universal law of adjustment to environment. The ancients asserted
that life originated from the sun, and that everything when bathed in the light of the solar orb was
capable of absorbing the solar life elements and later radiating them as flora and fauna. One
philosophical

Moor describes this figure as follows: "The cast is nine inches in height, representing the glorious god of day-holding the
attributes of VISHNU, seated on a seven-headed serpent; his car drawn by a seven-headed horse, driven by the legless
ARUN, a personification of the dawn, or AURORA." (See Moor's Hindu Pantheon.)

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concept regarded the sun as a parent and the planers as embryos still connected to the solar body by
means of ethereal umbilical cords which served as channels to convey life and nourishment to the
planets.

Some secret orders have taught that the sun was inhabited by a race of creatures with bodies
composed of a radiant, spiritual ether not unlike in its constituency the actual glowing ball of the sun
itself. The solar heat had no harmful effect upon them, because their organisms were sufficiently
refined and sensitized to harmonize with the sun's tremendous vibratory rate. These creatures
resemble miniature suns, being a little larger than a dinner plate in size, although some of the more
powerful are considerably larger. Their color is the golden white light of the sun, and from them
emanate four streamers of Vril. These streamers are often of great length and are in constant motion.
A peculiar palpitation is to be noted throughout the structure of the globe and is communicated in the
form of ripples to the emanating streamers. The greatest and most luminous of these spheres is the
Archangel Michael; and the entire order of solar life, which resemble him and dwell upon the sun, are
called by modern Christians "the archangels" or "the spirits of the light.

THE SUN IN ALCHEMICAL SYMBOLOGY

Gold is the metal of the sun and has been considered by many as crystallized sunlight. When gold is
mentioned in alchemical tracts, it may be either the metal itself or the celestial orb which is the source,
or spirit, of gold. Sulphur because of its fiery nature was also associated with the sun.

As gold was the symbol of spirit and the base metals represented man's lower nature, certain

alchemists were called "miners" and were pictured with picks and shovels digging into the earth in
search of the precious metal—those finer traits of character buried in the earthiness of materiality and
ignorance. The diamond concealed in the heart of the black carbon illustrated the same principle. The
Illuminati used a pearl hidden in the shell of an oyster at the bottom of the sea to signify spiritual
powers. Thus the seeker after truth became a pearl-fisher: he descended into the sea of material
illusion in search of understanding, termed by the initiates "the Pearl of Great Price."

When the alchemists stated that every animate and inanimate thing in the universe contained the
seeds of gold, they meant that even the grains of sand possessed a spiritual nature, for gold was the
spirit of all things. Concerning these seeds of spiritual gold the following Rosicrucian axiom is
significant: "A seed is useless and impotent unless it is put in its appropriate matrix." Franz
Hartmann comments on this axiom with these illuminating words: "A soul cannot develop and
progress without an appropriate body, because it is the physical body that furnishes the material for
its development." (See In the Pronaos of the Temple of Wisdom.)

The purpose of alchemy was not to make something out of nothing but rather to fertilize and nurture
the seed which was already present. Its processes did nor actually create gold but rather made the
ever-present seed of gold grow and flourish. Everything which exists has a spirit—the seed of Divinity
within itself— and regeneration is not the process of attempting to place something where it previously
had not existed. Regeneration actually means the unfoldment of the omnipresent Divinity in man,
that this Divinity may shine forth as a sun and illumine all with whom it comes in contact.

THE MIDNIGHT SUN

Apuleius said when describing his initiation (vide ante): "At midnight I saw the sun shining with a
splendid light." The midnight sun was also part of the mystery of alchemy. It symbolized the spirit in
man shining through the darkness of his human organisms. It also referred to the spiritual sun in the
solar system, which the mystic could see as well at midnight as at high noon, the material earth bring
powerless to obstruct the rays of this Divine orb. The mysterious lights which illuminated the temples
of the Egyptian Mysteries during the nocturnal hours were said by some to he reflections of the
spiritual sun gathered by the magical powers of the priests. The weird light seen ten miles below the
surface of the earth by I-AM-THE-MAN in that remarkable Masonic allegory Etidorhpa (Aphrodite
spelt backward) may well refer to the mysterious midnight sun of the ancient rites.

Primitive conceptions concerning the warfare between the principles of Good and Evil were often
based upon the alternations of day and night. During the Middle Ages, the practices of black magic
were confined to the nocturnal hours; and those who served the Spirit of Evil were called black
magicians, while those who served the Spirit of Good were called white magicians. Black and white
were associated respectively with night and day, and the endless conflict of light and shadow is
alluded to many times in the mythologies of various peoples.

The Egyptian Demon, Typhon, was symbolized as part crocodile and part: hog because these animals
are gross and earthy in both appearance and temperament. Since the world began, living things have
feared the darkness; those few creatures who use it as a shield for their maneuvers were usually
connected with the Spirit of Evil. Consequently cats, bats, toads, and owls are associated with
witchcraft. In certain parts of Europe it is still believed that at night black magicians assume the
bodies of wolves and roam around destroying. From this notion originated the stories of the
werewolves. Serpents, because they lived in the earth, were associated with the Spirit of Darkness. As
the battle between Good and Evil centers around the use of the generative forces of Nature, winged
serpents represent the regeneration of the animal nature of man or those Great Ones in whom this
regeneration is complete. Among the Egyptians the sun's rays are often shown ending in human

hands. Masons will find a connection between these hands and the well-known Paw of the Lion which
raises all things to life with its grip.

SOLAR COLORS

The theory so long held of three primary and four secondary colors is purely exoteric, for since the
earliest periods it has been known that there are seven, and not three, primary colors, the human eye
being capable of estimating only three of them. Thus, although green can be made by combining blue
and yellow, there is also a true or primary green which is not a compound. This can he proved by
breaking up the spectrum with a prism. Helmholtz found that the so-called secondary colors of the
spectrum could not be broken up into their supposed primary colors. Thus the orange of the spectrum,
if passed through a second prism, does not break up into red and yellow but remains orange.

Consciousness, intelligence, and force are fittingly symbolized by the colors blue, yellow, and red. The

therapeutic effects of the colors, moreover, are in harmony with this concept, for blue is a fine,
soothing, electrical color; yellow, a vitalizing and refining color; and red, an agitating and heat-giving
color. It has also been demonstrated that minerals and plants affect the human constitution according
to their colors. Thus a yellow flower generally yields a medicine that affects the constitution in a
manner similar to yellow light or the musical tone mi. An orange flower will influence in a manner
similar to orange light and, being one of the so-called secondary colors, corresponds either to the tone
re or to the chord of do and mi.

The ancients conceived the spirit of man to correspond with the color blue, the mind with yellow, and
the body with red. Heaven is therefore blue, earth yellow, and hell~or the underworld—red. The fiery
condition of the inferno merely symbolizes the nature of the sphere or plane of force of which it is
composed. In the Greek Mysteries the irrational sphere was always considered as red, for it
represented that condition in which the consciousness is enslaved by the lusts and passions of the
lower nature. In India certain of the gods—usually attributes of Vishnu— are depicted with blue skin to
signify their divine and supermundane constitution. According to esoteric philosophy, blue is the true
and sacred color of the sun. The apparent orange-yellow shade of this orb is the result of its rays being
immersed in the substances of the illusionary world.

In the original symbolism of the Christian Church, colors were of first importance and their use was
regulated according to carefully prepared rules. Since the Middle Ages, however, the carelessness
with which colors have been employed has resulted in the loss of their deeper emblematic meanings.
In its primary aspect, white or silver signified life, purity, innocence, joy, and light; red, the suffering
and death of Christ and His saints, and also divine love, blood, and warfare or suffering; blue, the
heavenly sphere and the states of godliness and contemplation; yellow or gold, glory, fruitfulness, and
goodness; green, fecundity, youthfulness, and prosperity; violet, humility, deep affection, and sorrow;
black, death, destruction, and humiliation. In early church art the colors of robes and ornaments also
revealed whether a saint had been martyred, as well as the character of the work that he had done to
deserve canonization.

In addition to the colors of the spectrum there are a vast number of vibratory color waves, some too
low and others too high to be registered by the human optical apparatus. It is appalling to
contemplate man's colossal ignorance concerning these vistas of abstract space. As in the past man
explored unknown continents, so in the future, armed with curious implements fashioned for the
purpose, he will explore these little known fastnesses of light, color, sound, and consciousness.

THE SOLAR FACE.

From Montfaucon's Antiquities.

The corona of the sun is here shown in the form of a hon's mane. This is a subtle reminder of the fact that at one time the
summer solstice took place in the sign of Leo, the Celestial Lion.

P- 53

The Zodiac and Its Signs

IT is difficult for this age to estimate correctly the profound effect produced upon the religions,
philosophies, and sciences of antiquity by the study of the planets, luminaries, and constellations. Not
without adequate reason were the Magi of Persia called the Star Gazers. The Egyptians were honored
with a special appellation because of their proficiency in computing the power and motion of the
heavenly bodies and their effect upon the destinies of nations and individuals. Ruins of primitive
astronomical observatories have been discovered in all parts of the world, although in many cases
modern archaeologists are unaware of the true purpose for which these structures were erected. While
the telescope was unknown to ancient astronomers, they made many remarkable calculations with
instruments cut from blocks of granite or pounded from sheets of brass and cop per. In India such
instruments are still in use, and they posses a high degree of accuracy. In Jaipur, Rajputana, India, an
observatory consisting largely of immense stone sundials is still in operation. The famous Chinese
observatory on the wall of Peking consists of immense bronze instruments, including a telescope in
the form of a hollow tube without lenses.

The pagans looked upon the stars as living things, capable of influencing the destinies of individuals,
nations, and races. That the early Jewish patriarchs believed that the celestial bodies participated in
the affairs of men is evident to any student of Biblical literature, as, for example, in the Book of
Judges: "They fought from heaven, even the stars in their courses fought against Sisera." The
Chaldeans, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Persians, Hindus, and Chinese all had zodiacs that were much
alike in general character, and different authorities have credited each of these nations with being the
cradle of astrology and astronomy. The Central and North American Indians also had an
understanding of the zodiac, but the patterns and numbers of the signs differed in many details from
those of the Eastern Hemisphere.

The word zodiac is derived from the Greek ^coSiaKog (zodiakos), which means "a circle of animals," or,
as some believe, "little animals." It is the name given by the old pagan astronomers to a band of fixed
stars about sixteen degrees wide, apparently encircling the earth. Robert Hewitt Brown, 32°, states
that the Greek word zodiakos comes from zo-on, meaning "an animal." He adds: "This latter word is
compounded directly from the primitive Egyptian radicals, zo, life, and on, a being."

The Greeks, and later other peoples influenced by their culture, divided the band of the zodiac into
twelve sections, each being sixteen degrees in width and thirty degrees in length. These divisions were
called the Houses of the Zodiac. The sun during its annual pilgrimage passed through each of these in
turn. Imaginary creatures were traced in the Star groups bounded by these rectangles; and because
most of them were animal—or part animal—in form, they later became known as the Constellations,
or Signs, of the Zodiac.

There is a popular theory concerning the origin of the zodiacal creatures to the effect that they were
products of the imagination of shepherds, who, watching their flocks at night, occupied their minds
by tracing the forms of animals and birds in the heavens. This theory is untenable, unless the
"shepherds" be regarded as the shepherd priests of antiquity. It is unlikely that the zodiacal signs
were derived from the star groups which they now represent. It is far more probable that the
creatures assigned to the twelve houses are symbolic of the qualities and intensity of the sun's power
while it occupies different parts of the zodiacal belt.

On this subject Richard Payne Knight writes: "The emblematical meaning, which certain animals
were employed to signify, was only some particular property generalized; and, therefore, might easily
be invented or discovered by the natural operation of the mind: but the collections of stars, named

after certain animals, have no resemblance whatever to those animals; which are therefore merely
signs of convention adopted to distinguish certain portions of the heavens, which were probably
consecrated to those particular personified attributes, which they respectively represented." {The
Symbolical Language of Ancient Art and Mythology.)

Some authorities are of the opinion that the zodiac was originally divided into ten (instead of twelve)
houses, or "solar mansions." In early times there were two separate standards—one solar and the
other lunar—used for the measurement of the months, years, and seasons. The solar year was
composed of ten months of thirty-six days each, and five days sacred to the gods. The lunar year
consisted of thirteen months of twenty-eight days each, with one day left over. The solar zodiac at that
time consisted often houses of thirty-six degrees each.

The first six signs of the zodiac of twelve signs were regarded as benevolent, because the sun occupied
them while traversing the Northern Hemisphere. The 6,000 years during which, according to the
Persians, Ahura-Mazda ruled His universe in harmony and peace, were symbolic of these six signs.
The second six were considered malevolent, because while the sun was traveling the Southern
Hemisphere it was winter with the Greeks, Egyptians, and Persians. Therefore these six months
symbolic of the 6,000 years of misery and suffering caused by the evil genius of the Persians,
Ahriman, who sought to overthrow the power of Ahura-Mazda.

Those who hold the opinion that before its revision by the Greeks the zodiac consisted of only ten
signs adduce evidence to show that Libra (the Scales) was inserted into the zodiac by dividing the
constellation of Virgo Scorpio (at that time one sign) into two parts, thus establishing "the balance" at
the point of equilibrium between the ascending northern and the descending southern signs. (See The
Rosicrucians, Their Rites and Mysteries, by Hargrave Jennings.) On this subject Isaac Myer states:
"We think that the Zodiacal constellations were first ten and represented an immense androgenic
man or deity; subsequently this was changed, resulting in Scorpio and Virgo and making eleven; after
this from Scorpio, Libra, the Balance, was taken, making the present twelve." {The Qabbalah.)

Each year the sun passes entirely around the zodiac and returns to the point from which it started—
the vernal equinox— and each year it falls just a little short of making the complete circle of the
heavens in the allotted period of time. As a result, it crosses the equator just a little behind the spot in
the zodiacal sign where it crossed the previous year. Each sign of the zodiac consists of thirty degrees,
and as the sun loses about one degree every seventy two years, it regresses through one entire
constellation (or sign) in approximately 2,160 years, and through the entire zodiac in about [paragraph

continues]

CHART SHOWING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE HUMAN BODY AND THE EXTERIOR UNIVERSE.

From Kircher's (Edipus Mgyptiacus.

The ornamental border contains groups of names of animal, mineral, and vegetable substances. Their relationship to
corresponding parts of the human body is shown by the dotted lines. The words in capital letters on the dotted lines
indicate to what corporeal member, organ, or disease, the herb or other substance is related. The favorable positions in
relation to the time of year are shown by the signs of the zodiac, each house of which is divided by crosses into its three
decans. This influence is further emphasized by the series of planetary signs placed on either side of the figure.

The plane of the zodiac intersects the celestial equator at an angle of approximately 23° 28'. The two points of intersection
(A and B) are called the equinoxes.

25,920 years. (Authorities disagree concerning these figures.) This retrograde motion is called the
precession of the equinoxes. This means that in the course of about 25,920 years, which constitute

THE EQUINOXES AND SOLSTICES.

P- 54

one Great Solar or Platonic Year, each one of the twelve constellations occupies a position at the
vernal equinox for nearly 2,160 years, then gives place to the previous sign.

Among the ancients the sun was always symbolized by the figure and nature of the constellation
through which it passed at the vernal equinox. For nearly the past 2,000 years the sun has crossed the
equator at the vernal equinox in the constellation of Pisces (the Two Fishes). For the 2,160 years
before that it crossed through the constellation of Aries (the Ram). Prior to that the vernal equinox
was in the sign of Taurus (the Bull). It is probable that the form of the bull and the bull's proclivities
were assigned to this constellation because the bull was used by the ancients to plow the fields, and
the season set aside for plowing and furrowing corresponded to the time at which the sun reached the
segment of the heavens named Taurus.

Albert Pike describes the reverence which the Persians felt for this sign and the method of astrological
symbolism in vogue among them, thus: "In Zoroaster's cave of initiation, the Sun and Planets were
represented, overhead, in gems and gold, as was also the Zodiac. The Sun appeared, emerging from
the back of Taurus. " In the constellation of the Bull are also to be found the "Seven Sisters"~the
sacred Pleiades—famous to Freemasonry as the Seven Stars at the upper end of the Sacred Ladder.

In ancient Egypt it was during this period— when the vernal equinox was in the sign of Taurus— that
the Bull, Apis, was sacred to the Sun God, who was worshiped through the animal equivalent of the
celestial sign which he had impregnated with his presence at the time of its crossing into the Northern
Hemisphere. This is the meaning of an ancient saying that the celestial Bull "broke the egg of the year
with his horns."

Sampson Arnold Mackey, in his Mythological Astronomy of the Ancients Demonstrated, makes note
of two very interesting points concerning the bull in Egyptian symbolism. Mr. Mackey is of the
opinion that the motion of the earth that we know as the alternation of the poles has resulted in a
great change of relative position of the equator and the zodiacal band. He believes that originally the
band of the zodiac was at right angles to the equator, with the sign of Cancer opposite the north pole
and the sign of Capricorn opposite the south pole. It is possible that the Orphic symbol of the serpent
twisted around the egg attempts to show the motion of the sun in relation to the earth under such
conditions. Mr. Mackey advances the Labyrinth of Crete, the name Abraxas, and the magic formula,
abracadabra, among other things, to substantiate his theory. Concerning abracadabra he states:

"But the slow progressive disappearance of the Bull is most happily commemorated in the vanishing
series of letters so emphatically expressive of the great astronomical fact. For ABRACADABRA is The
Bull, the only Bull. The ancient sentence split into its component parts stands thus: Ab'r-achad-ab'ra,
i. e., Ab'r, the Bull; achad, the only, &c.— Achad is one of the names of the Sun, given him in
consequence of his Shining ALONE,— he is the ONLY Star to be seen when he is seen— the remaining
ab'ra, makes the whole to be, The Bull, the only Bull; while the repetition of the name omitting a letter,
till all is gone, is the most simple, yet the most satisfactory method that could have been devised to
preserve the memory of the fact; and the name of Sorapis, or Serapis, given to the Bull at the above
ceremony puts it beyond all doubt. * * * This word (Abracadabra) disappears in eleven decreasing
stages; as in the figure. And what is very remarkable, a body with three heads is folded up by a
Serpent with eleven Coils, and placed by Sorapis: and the eleven Volves of the Serpent form a triangle
similar to that formed by the ELEVEN diminishing lines of the abracadabra."

Nearly every religion of the world shows traces of astrological influence. The Old Testament of the
Jews, its writings overshadowed by Egyptian culture, is a mass of astrological and astronomical
allegories. Nearly all the mythology of Greece and Rome maybe traced in star groups. Some writers
are of the opinion that the original twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet were derived from
groups of stars, and that the starry handwriting on the wall of the heavens referred to words spelt out.

with fixed stars for consonants, and the planets, or luminaries, for vowels. These, coming into ever-
different combinations, spelt words which, when properly read, foretold future events.

As the zodiacal band marks the pathway of the sun through the constellations, it results in the
phenomena of the seasons. The ancient systems of measuring the year were based upon the
equinoxes and the solstices. The year always began with the vernal equinox, celebrated March 21 with
rejoicing to mark the moment when the sun crossed the equator northward up the zodiacal arc. The
summer solstice was celebrated when the sun reached its most northerly position, and the day
appointed was June 21. After that time the sun began to descend toward the equator, which it
recrossed southbound at the autumnal equinox, September 21. The sun reached its most southerly
position at the winter solstice, December 21.

Four of the signs of the zodiac have been permanently dedicated to the equinoxes and the solstices;
and, while the signs no longer correspond with the ancient constellations to which they were assigned,
and from which they secured their names, they are accepted by modern astronomers as a basis of
calculation. The vernal equinox is therefore said to occur in the constellation of Aries (the Ram). It is
fitting that of all beasts a Ram should be placed at the head of the heavenly flock forming the zodiacal
band. Centuries before the Christian Era, the pagans revered this constellation. Godfrey Higgins
states: "This constellation was called the 'Lamb of God.' He was also called the 'Savior,' and was said
to save mankind from their sins. He was always honored with the appellation of 'Dominus' or 'Lord.'
He was called the 'Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.' The devotees addressing
him in their litany, constantly repeated the words, 'O Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the
world, have mercy upon us. Grant us Thy peace.'" Therefore, the Lamb of God is a title given to the
sun, who is said to be reborn every year in the Northern Hemisphere in the sign of the Ram, although,
due to the existing discrepancy between the signs of the zodiac and the actual star groups, it actually
rises in the sign of Pisces.

The summer solstice is regarded as occurring in Cancer (the Crab), which the Egyptians called the
scarab— a beetle of the family Lamellicornes, the head of the insect kingdom, and sacred to the
Egyptians as the symbol of Eternal Life. It is evident that the constellation of the Crab is represented
by this peculiar creature because the sun, after passing through this house, proceeds to walk
backwards, or descend the zodiacal arc. Cancer is the symbol of generation, for it is the house of the
Moon, the great Mother of all things and the patroness of the life forces of Nature. Diana, the moon
goddess of the Greeks, is called the Mother of the World. Concerning the worship of the feminine or
maternal principle, Richard Payne Knight writes:

"By attracting or heaving the waters of the ocean, she naturally appeared to be the sovereign of
humidity; and by seeming to operate so powerfully upon the constitutions of women, she equally
appeared to be the patroness and regulatress of nutrition and passive generation: whence she is said
to have received her nymphs, or subordinate personifications, from the ocean; and is often
represented by the symbol of the sea crab, an animal that has the property of spontaneously
detaching from its own body any limb that has been hurt or mutilated, and reproducing another in its
place." (The Symbolical Language of Ancient Art and Mythology .) This water sign, being symbolic of
the maternal principle of Nature, and recognized by the pagans as the origin of all life, was a natural
and consistent domicile of the moon.

The autumnal equinox apparently occurs in the constellation of Libra (the Balances). The scales
tipped and the solar globe began its pilgrimage toward the house of winter. The constellation of the
Scales was placed in the zodiac to symbolize the power of choice, by means of which man may weigh
one problem against another. Millions of years ago, when the human race was in the making, man
was like the angels, who knew neither good nor evil. He fell into the state of the knowledge of good
and evil when the gods gave him the seed for the mental nature. From man's mental reactions to his
environments he distills the product of experience, which then aids him to regain his lost position

plus an individualized intelligence. Paracelsus said: "The body comes from the elements, the soul
from the stars, and the spirit from God. All that the intellect can conceive of comes from the stars [the
spirits of the stars, rather than the material constellations]."

The constellation of Capricorn, in which the winter solstice theoretically takes place, was called The

House of Death, for in winter all life in the Northern Hemisphere is at its lowest ebb. Capricorn is a
composite creature, with the head and upper body of a goat and the tail of a fish. In this constellation
the sun is least powerful

THE MICROCOSM.

From Schotus' Margarita Philosophica.

The pagans believed that the zodiac formed the body of the Grand Man of the Universe. This body, which they called the
Macrocosm (the Great World), was divided into twelve major parts, one of which was under the control of the celestial
powers reposing in each of the zodiacal constellations. Believing that the entire universal system was epitomized in man's
body, which they called the Microcosm (the Little World), they evolved that now familiar figure of "the cut-up man in the
almanac" by allotting a sign of the zodiac to each of twelve major parts of the human body.

P- 55

in the Northern Hemisphere, and after passing through this constellation it immediately begins to
increase. Hence the Greeks said that Jupiter (a name of the Sun God) was suckled by a goat. A new
and different sidelight on zodiacal symbolism is supplied by John Cole, in A Treatise on the Circular
Zodiac ofTentyra, in Egypt: "The symbol therefore of the Goat rising from the body of a fish
[Capricorn], represents with the greatest propriety the mountainous buildings of Babylon rising out
of its low and marshy situation; the two horns of the Goat being emblematical of the two towns,
Nineveh and Babylon, the former built on the Tigris, the latter on the Euphrates; but both subjected
to one sovereignty."

The period of 2,160 years required for the regression of the sun through one of the zodiacal
constellations is often termed an age. According to this system, the age secured its name from the sign
through which the sun passes year after year as it crosses the equator at the vernal equinox. From this
arrangement are derived the terms The Taurian Age, The Aryan Age, The Piscean Age, and The

Aquarian Age. During these periods, or ages, religious worship takes the form of the appropriate

celestial sign—that which the sun is said to assume as a personality in the same manner that a spirit
assumes a body. These twelve signs are the jewels of his breastplate and his light shines forth from
them, one after the other.

From a consideration of this system, it is readily understood why certain religious symbols were
adopted during different ages of the earth's history; for during the 2,160 years the sun was in the
constellation of Taurus, it is said that the Solar Deity assumed the body of Apis, and the Bull became
sacred to Osiris. (For details concerning the astrological ages as related to Biblical symbolism, see The
Message of the Stars by Max and Augusta Foss Heindel.) During the Aryan Age the Lamb was held
sacred and the priests were called shepherds. Sheep and goats were sacrificed upon the altars, and a
scapegoat was appointed to bear the sins of Israel.

During the Age of Pisces, the Fish was the symbol of divinity and the Sun God fed the multitude with
two small fishes. The frontispiece oilnmon's Ancient Faiths shows the goddess Isis with a fish on her
head; and the Indian Savior God, Christna, in one of his incarnations was cast from the mouth of a
fish.

Not only is Jesus often referred to as the Fisher of Men, but as John P. Lundy writes: "The word Fish
is an abbreviation of this whole title, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, and Cross; or as St. Augustine
expresses it, 'If you join together the initial letters of the five Greek words, Iriaoug Xpioxo? Qeov Yioo
Scoxfip, which mean Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, they will make 1X0 YE, Fish, in which word
Christ is mystically understood, because He was able to live in the abyss of this mortality as in the
depth of waters, that is, without sin.'" (Monumental Christianity.) Many Christians observe Friday,
which is sacred to the Virgin (Venus), upon which day they shall eat fish and not meat. The sign of the
fish was one of the earliest symbols of Christianity; and when drawn upon the sand, it informed one
Christian that another of the same faith was near.

Aquarius is called the Sign of the Water Bearer, or the man with a jug of water on his shoulder
mentioned in the New Testament. This is sometimes shown as an angelic figure, supposedly
androgynous, either pouring water from an urn or carrying the vessel upon its shoulder. Among
Oriental peoples, a water vessel alone is often used. Edward Upham, in his History and Doctrine of
Budhism, describes Aquarius as being "in the shape of a pot and of a color between blue and yellow;
this Sign is the single house of Saturn."

When Herschel discovered the planet Uranus (sometimes called by the name of its discoverer), the
second half of the sign of Aquarius was allotted to this added member of the planetary family. The
water pouring from the urn of Aquarius under the name of "the waters of eternal life" appears many
times in symbolism. So it is with all the signs. Thus the sun in its path controls whatever form of
worship man offers to the Supreme Deity.

There are two distinct systems of astrological philosophy. One of them, the Ptolemaic, is geocentric:
the earth is considered the center of the solar system, around which the sun, moon, and planets
revolve. Astronomically, the geocentric system is incorrect; but for thousands of years it has proved
its accuracy when applied to the material nature of earthly things. A careful consideration of the
writings of the great occultists and a study of their diagrams reveal the fact that many of them were
acquainted with another method of arranging the heavenly bodies.

The other system of astrological philosophy is called the heliocentric. This posits the sun in the center
of the solar system, where it naturally belongs, with the planets and their moons revolving about it.
The great difficulty, however, with the heliocentric system is that, being comparatively new, there has
not been sufficient time to experiment successfully and catalogue the effects of its various aspects and

relationships. Geocentric astrology, as its name implies, is confined to the earthy side of nature, while
heliocentric astrology maybe used to analyze the higher intellectual and spiritual faculties of man.

The important point to be remembered is that when the sun was said to be in a certain sign of the
zodiac, the ancients really meant that the sun occupied the opposite sign and cast its long ray into the
house in which they enthroned it. Therefore, when it is said that the sun is in Taurus, it means
(astronomically) that the sun is in the sign opposite to Taurus, which is Scorpio. This resulted in two
distinct schools of philosophy: one geocentric and exoteric, the other heliocentric and esoteric. While
the ignorant multitudes worshiped the house of the sun's reflection, which in the case described
would be the Bull, the wise revered the house of the sun's actual dwelling, which would be the
Scorpion, or the Serpent, the symbol of the concealed spiritual mystery. This sign has three different
symbols. The most common is that of a Scorpion, who was called by the ancients the backbiter, being
the symbol of deceit and perversion; the second (and less common) form of the sign is a Serpent,
often used by the ancients to symbolize wisdom.

Probably the rarest form of Scorpio is that of an Eagle. The arrangement of the stars of the
constellation bears as much resemblance to a flying bird as to a scorpion. Scorpio, being the sign of
occult initiation, the flying eagle—the king of birds—represents the highest and most spiritual type of
Scorpio, in which it transcends the venomous insect of the earth. As Scorpio and Taurus are opposite
each other in the zodiac, their symbolism is often closely intermingled. The Hon. E. M. Plunket, in
Ancient Calendars and Constellations, says: "The Scorpion (the constellation Scorpio of the Zodiac
opposed to Taurus) joins with Mithras in his attack upon the Bull, and always the genii of the spring
and autumn equinoxes are present in joyous and mournful attitudes."

The Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians, who knew the sun as a Bull, called the zodiac a
series of furrows, through which the great celestial Ox dragged the plow of the sun. Hence the
populace offered up sacrifice and led through the streets magnificent steers, bedecked with flowers
and surrounded with priests, dancing girls of the temple, and musicians. The philosophic elect did not
participate in these idolatrous ceremonials, but advocated them as most suitable for the types of mind
composing the mass of the population. These few possessed a far deeper understanding, as the
Serpent of Scorpio upon their foreheads—the [7r£Bus— bore witness.

The sun is often symbolized with its rays in the form of a shaggy mane. Concerning the Masonic
significance of Leo, Robert Hewitt Brown, 32°, has written: "On the 21st of June, when the sun arrives
at the summer solstice, the constellation Leo— being but 30° in advance of the sun— appears to be
leading the way, and to aid by his powerful paw in lifting the sun up to the summit of the zodiacal
arch. * * * This visible connection between the constellation Leo and the return of the sun to his place
of power and glory, at the summit of the Royal Arch of heaven, was the principal reason why that
constellation was held in such high esteem and reverence by the ancients. The astrologers
distinguished Leo as the 'sole house of the sun,' and taught that the world was created when the sun
was in that sign. 'The lion was adored in the East and the West by the Egyptians and the Mexicans.
The chief Druid of Britain was styled a lion.'" (Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomy.) When the
Aquarian Age is thoroughly established, the sun will be in Leo, as will be noted from the explanation
previously given in this chapter regarding the distinction between geocentric and heliocentric
astrology. Then, indeed, will the secret religions of the world include once more the raising to
initiation by the Grip of the Lion's Paw. (Lazarus will come forth.)

THE CIRCULAR ZODIAC OF TENTYRA.

From Cole's Treatise— the Circular Zodiac ofTentyra, in Egypt.

The oldest circular zodiac known is the one found at Tentyra, in Egypt, and now in the possession of the French
government. Mr. John Cole describes this remarkable zodiac as follows: "The diameter of the medallion in which the
constellations are sculptured, is four feet nine inches, French measure. It is surrounded by another circle of much larger
circumference, containing hieroglyphic characters; this second circle is enclosed in a square, whose sides are seven feet
nine inches long. * * * The asterisms, constituting the Zodiacal constellations mixed with others, are represented in a
spiral. The extremities of this spiral, after one revolution, are Leo and Cancer. Leo is no doubt at the head. It appears to be
trampling on a serpent, and its tail to be held by a woman. Immediately after the Lion comes the Virgin holding an ear of
corn. Further on, we perceive two scales of a balance, above which, in a medal lion, is the figure of Harpocrates. Then
follows the Scorpion and Sagittarius, to whom the Egyptians gave wings, and two faces. After Sagittarius are successively
placed, Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces, the Ram, the Bull, and the Twins. This Zodiacal procession is, as we have already
observed, terminated by Cancer, the Crab."

p- 56

The antiquity of the zodiac is much in dispute. To contend that it originated but a mere few thousand
years before the Christian Era is a colossal mistake on the part of those who have sought to compile
data, concerning its origin. The zodiac necessarily must be ancient enough to go backward to that
period when its signs and symbols coincided exactly with the positions of the constellations whose
various creatures in their natural functions exemplified the outstanding features of the sun's activity
during each of the twelve months. One author, after many years of deep study on the subject, believed
man's concept of the zodiac to be at least five million years old. In all probability it is one of the many
things for which the modem world is indebted to the Atlantean or the Lemurian civilizations. About
ten thousand years before the Christian Era there was a period of many ages when knowledge of every
kind was suppressed, tablets destroyed, monuments torn down, and every vestige of available
material concerning previous civilizations completely obliterated. Only a few copper knives, some
arrowheads, and crude carvings on the walls of caves bear mute witness of those civilizations which
preceded this age of destruction. Here and there a few gigantic structures have remained which, like
the strange monoliths on Easter Island, are evidence of lost arts and sciences and lost races. The
human race is exceedingly old. Modern science counts its age in tens of thousands of years; occultism,
in tens of millions. There is an old saying that "Mother Earth has shaken many civilizations from her

back," and it is not beyond reason that the principles of astrology and astronomy were evolved
millions of years before the first white man appeared.

The occultists of the ancient world had a most remarkable understanding of the principle of evolution.
They recognized all life as being in various stages of becoming. They believed that grains of sand were
in the process of becoming human in consciousness but not necessarily in form; that human
creatures were in the process of becoming planets; that planets were in the process of becoming solar
systems; and that solar systems were in the process of becoming cosmic chains; and so on ad
infinitum. One of the stages between the solar system and the cosmic chain was called the zodiac;
therefore they taught that at a certain time a solar system breaks up into a zodiac. The house of the
zodiac become the thrones for twelve Celestial Hierarchies, or as certain of the ancients state, ten
Divine Orders. Pythagoras taught that lo, or the unit of the decimal system, was the most perfect of
all numbers, and he symbolized the number ten by the lesser tetractys, an arrangement of ten dots in
the form of an upright triangle.

The early star gazers, after dividing the zodiac into its houses, appointed the three brightest scars in
each constellation to be the joint rulers of that house. Then they divided the house into three sections
of ten degrees each, which they called decans. These, in turn, were divided in half, resulting in the
breaking up of the zodiac into seventy-two duodecans of five degrees each. Over each of these
duodecans the Hebrews placed a celestial intelligence, or angel, and from this system, has resulted
the Qabbalistic arrangement of the seventy-two sacred names, which correspond to the seventy-two
flowers, knops, and almonds upon the seven-branched Candlestick of the Tabernacle, and the
seventy-two men who were chosen from the Twelve Tribes to represent Israel.

The only two signs not already mentioned are Gemini and Sagittarius. The constellation of Gemini is
generally represented as two small children, who, according to the ancients, were born out of eggs,
possibly the ones that the Bull broke with his horns. The stories concerning Castor and Pollux, and
Romulus and Remus, may be the result of amplifying the myths of these celestial Twins. The symbols
of Gemini have passed through many modifications. The one used by the Arabians was the peacock.
Two of the important stars in the constellation of Gemini still bear the names of Castor and Pollux.
The sign of Gemini is supposed to have been the patron of phallic worship, and the two obelisks, or
pillars, in front of temples and churches convey the same symbolism as the Twins.

The sign of Sagittarius consists of what the ancient Greeks called a centaur~a composite creature, the
lower half of whose body was in the form of a horse, while the upper half was human. The centaur is
generally shown with a bow and arrow in his hands, aiming a shaft far off into the stars. Hence
Sagittarius stands for two distinct principles: first, it represents the spiritual evolution of man, for the
human form is rising from the body of the beast; secondly, it is the symbol of aspiration and ambition,
for as the centaur aims his arrow at the stars, so every human creature aims at a higher mark than he
can reach.

Albert Churchward, in The Signs and Symbols of Primordial Man, sums up the influence of the
zodiac upon religious symbolism in the following words: "The division here [is] in twelve parts, the
twelve signs of the Zodiac, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve gates of heaven mentioned in Revelation,
and twelve entrances or portals to be passed through in the Great Pyramid, before finally reaching the
highest degree, and twelve Apostles in the Christian doctrines, and the twelve original and perfect
points in Masonry."

The ancients believed that the theory of man's being made in the image of God was to be understood
literally. They maintained that the universe was a great organism not unlike the human body, and
that every phase and function of the Universal Body had a correspondence in man. The most precious
Key to Wisdom that the priests communicated to the new initiates was what they termed the law of

analogy. Therefore, to the ancients, the study of the stars was a sacred science, for they saw in the
movements of the celestial bodies the ever-present activity of the Infinite Father.

The Pythagoreans were often undeservedly criticized for promulgating the so-called doctrine of
metempsychosis, or the transmigration of souls. This concept as circulated among the uninitiated was
merely a blind, however, to conceal a sacred truth. Greek mystics believed that the spiritual nature of
man descended into material existence from the Milky Way— the seed ground of souls—through one of
the twelve gates of the great zodiacal band. The spiritual nature was therefore said to incarnate in the
form of the symbolic creature created by Magian star gazers to represent the various zodiacal
constellations. If the spirit incarnated through the sign of Aries, it was said to be born in the body of a
ram; if in Taurus, in the body of the celestial bull. All human beings were thus symbolized by twelve
mysterious creatures through the natures of which they were able to incarnate into the material world.
The theory of transmigration was not applicable to the visible material body of man, but rather to the
invisible immaterial spirit wandering along the pathway of the stars and sequentially assuming in the
course of evolution the forms of the sacred zodiacal animals.

In the Third Book of the Mathesis of Julius Firmicus Maternus appears the following extract
concerning the positions of the heavenly bodies at the time of the establishment of the inferior
universe: "According to ^Esculapius, therefore, and Anubius, to whom especially the divinity Mercury
committed the secrets of the astrological science, the geniture of the world is as follows: They
constituted the Sun in the 15th part of Leo, the Moon in the 15th part of Cancer, Saturn in the 15th
part of Capricorn, Jupiter in the 15th part of Sagittary, Mars in the 15th part of Scorpio, Venus in the
15th part of Libra, Mercury in the 15th part of Virgo, and the Horoscope in the 15th part of Cancer.
Conformably to this geniture, therefore, to these conditions of the stars, and the testimonies which
they adduce in confirmation of this geniture, they are of opinion that the destinies of men, also, are
disposed in accordance with the above arrangement, as maybe learnt from that book of ^Esculapius
which is called Mupioysveoig, (i.e. Ten Thousand, or an innumerable multitude of Genitures) in order
that nothing in the several genitures of men may be found to be discordant with the above-mentioned
geniture of the world." The seven ages of man are under the control of the planets in the following
order: infancy, the moon; childhood. Mercury; adolescence, Venus; maturity, the sun; middle age.
Mars; advanced age, Jupiter; and decrepitude and dissolution, Saturn.

HIEROGLYPHIC PLAN, By HERMES, OF THE ANCIENT ZODIAC.

From Kircher's CEdipus j^gyptiacus.

The inner circle contains the hieroglyph of Hemphta, the triform and pantamorphic deity. In the six concentric bands
surrounding the inner circle are (from within outward): (i) the numbers of the zodiacal houses in figures and also in
words; (2) the modern names of the houses.(3) the Greek or the Egyptian names of the Egyptian deities assigned to the
houses; (4) the complete figures of these deities; (5) the ancient or the modem zodiacal signs, sometimes both; (6) the
number of decans or subdivisions of the houses.

p- 57

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THE BEMBINE TABLE OF ISIS.

Concerning the theurgic or magic sense in which the Egyptian priests exhibited in the Bembine Table of Isis the philosophy of sacrifice, rites, and ceremonies

system of occult symbols, Athanasius Kircher writes:

"The early priests believed that a great spiritual power was invoked by correct and unabridged sacrificial ceremonies. If
one feature were lacking, the whole was vitiated, says lamblichus. Hence they were most careful in all details, for they
considered it absolutely essential for the entire chain of logical connections to be exactly according to ritual. Certainly for
no other reason did they prepare and prescribe for future use the manuals, as it were, for conducting the rites. They
learned, too, what the first hieromancers—possessed, as it were, by a divine fury—devised as a system of symbolism for
exhibiting their mysteries. These they placed in this Tablet of Isis, before the eyes of those admitted to the sanctum
sanctorum in order to teach the nature of the Gods and the prescribed forms of sacrifice. Since each of the orders of Gods
had its own peculiar symbols, gestures, costumes, and ornaments, they thought it necessary to observe these in the whole
apparatus of worship, as nothing was more efficacious in drawing the benign attention of the deities and genii. * * * Thus
their temples, remote from the usual haunts of men, contained representations of nearly every form in nature. First, in the
pavement, they symbolized the physical economy of the world, using minerals, stones and other things suitable for
ornaments, including little streams of water. The walls showed the starry world, and the done the world of genii. In the
center was the altar, to suggest the emanations of the Supreme Mind from its center. Thus the entire interior constituted a
picture of the Universe of Worlds. The priests in making sacrifices wore raiment adorned with figures similar to those
attributed to the Gods. Their bodies were partially bare like those of the deities, and they themselves were divested of all
material cares and practices the strictest chastity. * * * Their heads were veiled to indicate their charge of earthly things.
Their heads and bodies were shaved, for they regarded hair as a useless excrescence. Upon the head they bore the same
insignia as those attributed to the Gods. Thus arrayed, they regarded themselves to be transformed into that intelligence
with which they constantly desired to be identified. For example, in order to call down to the world the soul and spirit of
the Universe, they stood before the image shown in the center of our Tablet, wearing the same symbols as that figure and
its attendants, and offered sacrifices. By these and the accompanying singing of hymns they believed that they infallibly
drew the God's attention to their prayer. And so they did in regard to other regions of the Tablet, believing of necessity the
proper ritual properly carried out would evoke the deity desired. That this was the origin of the science of oracles is
apparent. As a touched chord produces a harmony of sound, likewise the adjoining chords respond though not touched.
Similarly the idea they expressed by their concurrent acts while adoring the God came into accord with basic Idea and, by
an intellectual union, it was returned to them deiformed, and they thus obtained the Idea of Ideas. Hence there sprang up
in their souls, they thought, the gift of prophecy and divination, and they believed they could foretell future events,
impending evils, etc. For as in the Supreme Mind everj^hing is simultaneous and spaceless, the future is therefore present
in that Mind; and they thought that while the human mind was absorbed in the Supreme by contemplation, by that union
they were enabled to know all the future. Nearly all that is represented in our Tablet consists of amulets which, by analogy
above described, would inspire them, under the described conditions, with the virtues of the Supreme Power and enable
them to receive good and avert evil. They also believed they could in this magical manner effect cures of diseases; that
genii could be induced to appear to them during sleep and cure or teach them to cure the sick. In this belief they consulted
the Gods about all sort of doubts and difficulties, while adorned with the simulacra of the mystic rite and intently
contemplating the Divine Ideas; and while so enraptured they believed the God by some sign, nod or gesture
communicated with them, whether asleep or awake, concerning the truth or falsity of the matter in point." (See CEdipus
jEgyptiaciis.)

The Bembine Table of Isis

A MANUSCRIPT by Thomas Taylor contains the following remarkable paragraph:

"Plato was initiated into the 'Greater Mysteries' at the age of 49. The initiation took place in one of the
subterranean halls of the Great Pyramid in Egypt. The ISIAC TABLE formed the altar, before which
the Divine Plato stood and received that which was always his, but which the ceremony of the
Mysteries enkindled and brought from its dormant state. With this ascent, after three days in the
Great Hall, he was received by the Hierophant of the Pyramid (the Hierophant was seen only by those
who had passed the three days, the three degrees, the three dimensions) and given verbally the
Highest Esoteric Teachings, each accompanied with Its appropriate Symbol. After a further three
months' sojourn in the halls of the Pyramid, the Initiate Plato was sent out into the world to do the
work of the Great Order, as Pj^hagoras and Orpheus had been before him."

Before the sacking of Rome in 1527 there is no historical mention of the Mensa Isiaca, (Tablet of Isis).
At that time the Tablet came into the possession of a certain locksmith or ironworker, who sold it at
an exorbitant price to Cardinal Bembo, a celebrated antiquary, historiographer of the Republic of
Venice, and afterwards librarian of St. Mark's. After his death in 1547 the Isiac Tablet was acquired by
the House of Mantua, in whose museum it remained until 1630, when troops of Ferdinand II
captured the city of Mantua. Several early writers on the subject have assumed that the Tablet was
demolished by the ignorant soldiery for the silver it contained. The assumption, however, was
erroneous. The Tablet fell into the hands of Cardinal Pava, who presented it to the Duke of Savoy,
who in turn presented it to the King of Sardinia. When the French conquered Italy in 1797 the Tablet
was carried to Paris. In 1809, Alexandre Lenoir, writing of the Mensa Isiaca, said it was on exhibition
at the Bibliotheque Nationale. Upon the establishment of peace between the two countries it was
returned to Italy. In his Guide to Northern Italy, Karl Baedeker describes the Mensa Isiaca as being
in the center of Gallery 2 in the Museum of Antiquities at Turin.

A faithful reproduction of the original Tablet was made in 1559 by the celebrated JEneas Vicus of
Parma, and a copy of the engraving was given by the Chancellor of the Duke of Bavaria to the
Museum of Hieroglyphics. Athanasius Kircher describes the Tablet as "five palms long and four
wide." W. Wynn Westcott says it measures 50 by 30 inches. It was made of bronze and decorated with
encaustic or smalt enamel and silver inlay. Fosbroke adds: "The figures are cut very shallow, and the
contour of most of them is encircled by threads of silver. The bases upon which the figures were
seated or reclined, and left blank in the prints, were of silver and are torn away." (See Encyclopaedia
of Antiquities.)

Those familiar with the fundamental principles of Hermetic philosophy will recognize in the Mensa
Isiaca the key to Chaldean, Egyptian, and Greek theology. In his Antiquities, the learned Benedictine,
Father Montfaucon, admits his inability to cope with the intricacies of its symbolism. He therefore
doubts that the emblems upon the Tablet possess any significance worthy of consideration and
ridicules Kircher, declaring him to be more obscure than the Tablet itself. Laurentius Pignorius
reproduced the Tablet in connection with a descriptive essay in 1605, but his timidly advanced
explanations demonstrated his ignorance concerning the actual interpretation of the figures.

In his CEdipus Mgyptiacus, published in 1654, Kircher attacked the problem with characteristic
avidity. Being peculiarly qualified for such a task by years of research in matters pertaining to the
secret doctrines of antiquity, and with the assistance of a group of eminent scholars, Kircher
accomplished much towards an exposition of the mysteries of the Tablet. The master secret, however,
eluded even him, as Eliphas Levi has shrewdly noted in his History of Magic.

"The learned Jesuit, " writes Levi, "divined that it contained the hieroglyphic key to sacred alphabets,
though he was unable to develop the explanation. It is divided into three equal compartments; above
are the twelve houses of heaven and below are the corresponding distributions of labor [work periods]
throughout the year, while in the middle place are twenty-one sacred signs answering to the letters of
the alphabet. In the midst of all is a seated figure of the pantomorphic lYNX, emblem of universal
being and corresponding as such to the Hebrew Yod, or to that unique letter from which all the other
letters were formed. The lYNX is encircled by the Ophite triad, answering to the Three Mother Letters
of the Egyptian and Hebrew alphabets. On the right are the Ibimorphic and Serapian triads; on the
left are those of Nepthys and Hecate, representing active and passive, fixed and volatile, fructifying
fire and generating water. Each pair of triads in conjunction with the center produces a septenary,
and a septenary is contained in the center. The three septenaries furnish the absolute number of the
three worlds, as well as the complete number of primitive letters, to which a complementary sign is
added, like zero to the nine numerals."

Levi's hint may be construed to mean that the twenty-one figures in the center section of the Table
represent the twenty-one major trumps of the Tarot cards. If this be so, is not the zero card, cause of
so much controversy, the nameless crown of the Supreme Mind, the crown being symbolized by the
hidden triad in the upper part of the throne in the center of the Table? Might not the first emanation
of this Supreme Mind be well symbolized by a juggler or magician with the symbols of the four lower
worlds spread out on a table before him: the rod, the sword, the cup, and the coin? Thus considered,
the zero card belongs nowhere among the others but is in fact the fourth dimensional point from
which they all emanated and consequently is broken up into the twenty-one cards (letters) which,
when gathered together, produce the zero. The cipher appearing upon this card would substantiate
this interpretation, for the cipher, or circle, is emblematic of the superior sphere from which issue the
lower worlds, powers, and letters.

Westcott carefully collected the all too meager theories advanced by various authorities and in 1887
published his now extremely rare volume, which contains the only detailed description of the Isiac
Tablet published in English since Humphreys translated Montfaucon's worthless description in 1721.
After explaining his reticence to reveal that which Levi evidently felt was better left concealed,
Westcott sums up his interpretation of the Tablet as follows:

"The diagram of Levi, by which he explains the mystery of the Tablet, shows the Upper Region
divided into the four seasons of the year, each with three signs of the Zodiac, and he has added the
four-lettered sacred name, the Tetragrammaton, assigning Jod to Aquarius, that is Canopus, He to
Taurus, that is Apis, Vau to Leo, that is Momphta, and He final to Typhon. Note the Cherubic parallel-
-Man, Bull, Lion and Eagle. The fourth form is found either as Scorpion or Eagle depending upon the
Occult good or evil intention: in the Demotic Zodiac, the Snake replaces the Scorpion.

"The Lower Region he ascribes to the twelve simple Hebrew letters, associating them with the four
quarters of the horizon. Compare the Sepher Yerzirah, Cap. v., sec. 1.

"The Central Region he ascribes to the Solar powers and the

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LEVI'S KEY TO THE BEMBINE TABLE.

From Levi's History of Magic.

"The Isiac Tablet, writes Levi, is a Key to the Ancient Book of Thoth, which has survived to some extent the lapse of
centuries and is pictured to us in the still comparatively ancient set of Tarocchi Cards. To him the Book of Thoth was a
resume of the esoteric learning of the Egyptians, after the decadence of their civilization, this lore became crystallized in a
hieroglyphic form as the Tarot; this Tarot having become partially or entirely forgotten or misunderstood, its pictured
symbols fell into the hands of the sham diviners, and of the providers of the public amusement by games of Cards. The
modem Tarot, or Tarocchi pack of cards consists of 78 cards, of which 22 form a special group of trumps, of pictorial
design: the remaining 56 are composed of four suits of 10 numerals and four court cards. King, Queen, Knight, and Knave
or Valet; the suits are Swords (Militaryism), Cups (Sacerdocy), Clubs or Wands (Agriculture), and Shekels or Coins
(Commerce), answering respectively to our Spades, Hearts, Clubs and Diamonds. Our purpose is with the 22 trumps,
these form the special characteristic of the Pack and are the lineal descendants of the Hieroglyphics of the Tarot. These 22
respond to the letters of the Hebrew and other sacred alphabets, which fall naturally into three classes of a Trio of
Mothers, a Heptad of doubles, and a duodecad of simple letters. They are also considered as a triad of Heptads and one
apart, a system of Initiation and an Uninitiate." (See Westcott's The Isiac Tablet.)

p. 58

Planetary. In the middle we see above, the Sun, marked Ops, and below it is a Solomon's Seal, above a
cross; a double triangle Hexapla, one light and one dark triangle superposed, the whole forming a sort
of complex symbol of Venus. To the Ibimorphos he gives the three dark planets, Venus, Mercury, and
Mars placed around a dark triangle erect, denoting Fire. To the Nephthsean triad he gives three light
planets, Saturn, Luna, and Jupiter, around a light inverted triangle which denotes Water. There is a
necessary connection between water, female power, passive principle, Binah, and Sephirotic Mother,
and Bride. (See the Kabbalah by Mathers.) Note the ancient signs for the planets were all composed
of a Cross, Solar Disc and Crescent: Venus is a cross below a Sun disc, Mercury, a disc With a crescent
above and cross below, Saturn is a Cross whose lowest point touches the apex of the crescent; Jupiter
is a Crescent whose lowest point touches the left hand end of a cross: all these are deep mysteries.
Note that Levi in his original plate transposed Serapis and Hecate, but not the Apis noir and Apis
blanc, perhaps because of the head of Bes being associated by him with Hecate. Note that having
referred the 12 simple letters to the lower, the 7 double must correspond to the central region of the
planets, and then the great triad A.M.S. the mother letters representing Air, Water, and Fire remain
to be pictured, around S the Central lynx, or Yod, by the Ophionian Triad the two Serpents and the
Leonine Sphynx. Levi's word OPS in the centre is the Latin Ops, Terra, genius of the Earth; and the
Greek Ops, Rhea, or Kubele (Cybele) often drawn as a goddess seated in a chariot drawn by lions; she
is crowned with turrets, and holds a Key." (See The Isiac Tablet.)

The essay published in French by Alexandre Lenoir in 1809, while curious and original, contains little
real information on the Tablet, which the author seeks to prove was an Egyptian calendar or
astrological chart. As both Montfaucon and Lenoir~in fact all writers on the subject since i65i~either
have based their work upon that of Kircher or have been influenced considerably by him, a careful
translation has been made of the latter's original article (eighty pages of seventeenth century Latin).
The double-page plate at the beginning of this chapter is a faithful reproduction made by Kircher
from the engraving in the Museum of Hieroglyphics. The small letters and numbers used to designate
the figures were added by him to clarify his commentary and will be used for the same purpose in this
work.

Like nearly all religious and philosophical antiquities, the Bembine Table of Isis has been the subject
of much controversy. In a footnote, A. E. Waite—unable to differentiate between the true and the
purported nature or origin of the Tablet—echoes the sentiments of J.G. Wilkinson, another eminent
exotericus: "The original [Table] is exceedingly late and is roughly termed a forgery." On the other
hand, Eduard Winkelmann, a man of profound learning, defends the genuineness and antiquity of the
Tablet. A sincere consideration of the Mensa Isiaca discloses one fact of paramount importance: that
although whoever fashioned the Table was not necessarily an Egyptian, he was an initiate of the
highest order, conversant with the most arcane tenets of Hermetic esotericism.

SYMBOLISM OF THE BEMBINE TABLE

The following necessarily brief elucidation of the Bembine Table is based upon a digest of the writings
of Kircher supplemented by other information gleaned by the present author from the mystical
writings of the Chaldeans, Hebrews, Egyptians, and Greeks. The temples of the Egyptians were so
designed that the arrangement of chambers, decorations, and utensils was all of symbolic significance,
as shown by the hieroglyphics that covered them. Beside the altar, which usually was in the center of
each room, was the cistern of Nile water which flowed in and out through unseen pipes. Here also
were images of the gods in concatenated series, accompanied by magical inscriptions. In these
temples, by use of symbols and hieroglyphics, neophytes were instructed in the secrets of the
sacerdotal caste.

The Tablet of Isis was originally a table or altar, and its emblems were part of the mysteries explained
by priests. Tables were dedicated to the various gods and goddesses; in this case Isis was so honored.
The substances from which the tables were made differed according to the relative dignities of the
deities. The tables consecrated to Jupiter and Apollo were of gold; those to Diana, Venus, and Juno
were of silver; those to the other superior gods, of marble; those to the lesser divinities, of wood.
Tables were also made of metals corresponding to the planets governed by the various celestials. As
food for the body is spread on a banquet table, so on these sacred altars were spread the symbols
which, when understood, feed the invisible nature of man.

In his introduction to the Table, Kircher summarizes its symbolism thus: "It teaches, in the first place,
the whole constitution of the threefold world—archetypal, intellectual, and sensible. The Supreme
Divinity is shown moving from the center to the circumference of a universe made up of both sensible
and inanimate things, all of which are animated and agitated by the one supreme power which they
call the Father Mind and represented by a threefold symbol. Here also are shown three triads from
the Supreme One, each manifesting one attribute of the first Trimurti. These triads are called the
Foundation, or the base of all things. In the Table is also set forth the arrangement and distribution of
those divine creatures that aid the Father Mind in the control of the universe. Here [in the upper
panel] are to be seen the Governors of the worlds, each with its fiery, ethereal, and material insignia.
Here also [in the lower panel] are the Fathers of Fountains, whose duty it is to care for and preserve
the principles of all things and sustain the inviolable laws of Nature. Here are the gods of the spheres
and also those who wander from place to place, laboring with all substances and forms (Zonia and
Azonia), grouped together as figures of both sexes, with their faces turned to their superior deity."

The Mensa Isiaca, which is divided horizontally into three chambers or panels, may represent the
ground plan of the chambers in which the Isiac Mysteries were given. The center panel is divided into
seven parts or lesser rooms, and the lower has two gates, one at each end. The entire Table contains
forty-five figures of first importance and a number of lesser symbols. The forty-five main figures are
grouped into fifteen triads, of which four are in the upper panel, seven in the central, and four in the
lower. According to both Kircher and Levi, the triads are divided in the following manner:

In the upper section

1. P, S, V~Mendesian Triad.

2. X, Z, A~Ammonian Triad.

3. B, C, D~Momphtaean Triad.

4. F, G, H-Omphtsean Triad.
In the center section

1. G, I, K~Isiac Triad.

2. L, M, N~Hecatine Triad.

3. O, Q, R~Ibimorphous Triad.

4. V, S, W~Ophionic Triad.

5. X, Y, Z~Nephtaean Triad.

6. 4 ri, 9~Serapsean Triad.

7. Y, 8 (not shown), e—Osirian Triad.
In the lower section

1. X, M, N~Horaean Triad.

2. ^, 0, 2~Pandoch£ean Triad.

3. T, O, X-Thaustic Triad.

4. W, F, H~7Eluristic Triad.

Of these fifteen triads Kircher writes: "The figures differ from each other in eight highly important
respects, i. e., according to form, position, gesture, act, raiment, headdress, staff, and, lastly,
according to the hieroglyphics placed around them, whether these be flowers, shrubs, small letters or
animals." These eight symbolic methods of portraying the secret powers of the figures are subtle
reminders of the eight spiritual senses of cognition by means of which the Real Self in man may be
comprehended. To express this spiritual truth the Buddhists used the wheel with eight spokes and
raised their consciousness by means of the noble eightfold path. The ornamented border enclosing
the three main panels of the Table contains many symbols consisting of birds, animals, reptiles,
human beings, and composite forms. According to one reading of the Table, this border represents

the four elements; the creatures are elemental beings. According to another interpretation, the border

represents the archetypal spheres, and in its frieze of composite figures are the patterns of those
forms which in various combinations will subsequently manifest themselves in the material world.
The four flowers at the corners of the Table are those which, because their blossoms always face the
sun and follow its course across the sky, are sacred emblems of that finer part of man's nature which
delights in facing its Creator.

According to the secret doctrine of the Chaldeans, the universe is divided into four states of being
(planes or spheres): archetypal, intellectual, sidereal, and elemental. Each of these reveals the others;
the superior controlling the inferior, and the inferior receiving influence from the superior. The
archetypal plane was considered synonymous with the intellect of the Triune Divinity. Within this
divine, incorporeal, and eternal sphere are included all the lower manifestations of life-all that is, has
been, or ever shall be. Within the Kosmic Intellect all things spiritual or material exist as archetypes,
or divine thought-forms, which is shown in the Table by a chain of secret similes.

In the middle region of the Table appears the all-form-containing personified Spiritual Essence—the
source and substance of all things. From this proceed the lower worlds as nine emanations in groups
of three (the Ophionic, Ibimorphous, and Nephtsean Triads). Consider in this connection the analogy
of the Qabbalistic Sephiroth, or the nine spheres issuing from Kether, the Crown. The twelve
Governors of the Universe (the Mendesian, Ammonian, Momphtsean, and Omphteean Triads)--
vehicles for the distribution of the creative influences, and shown in the upper region of the Table-are
directed in their activities by the Divine Mind patterns existing in the archetypal sphere, The
archetypes are abstract patterns formulated in the Divine Mind and by them all the inferior activities
are controlled.

P- 59

In the lower region of the Table are the Father Fountains (the Horeean, Pandochsean, Thaustic, and
iEluristic Triads), keepers of the great gates of the universe. These distribute to the lower worlds the
influences descending from the Governors shown above.

In the theology of the Egyptians, goodness takes precedence and all things partake of its nature to a
higher or lower degree. Goodness is sought by all. It is the Prime Cause of causes. Goodness is self-
diffused and hence exists in all things, for nothing can produce that which it does not have in itself.
The Table demonstrates that all is in God and God is in all; that all is in all and each is in each. In the
intellectual world are invisible spiritual counterparts of the creatures which inhabit the elemental
world. Therefore, the lowest exhibits the highest, the corporeal declares the intellectual, and the
invisible i,. made manifest by its works. For this reason the Egyptians made images of substances
existing in the inferior sensible world to serve as visible exemplars of superior and invisible powers.
To the corruptible images they assigned the virtues of the incorruptible divinities, thus demonstrating
arcanely that this world is but the shadow of God, the outward picture of the paradise within. All that
is in the invisible archetypal sphere is revealed in the sensible corporeal world by the light of Nature.

The Archetypal and Creative Mind—first through its Paternal Foundation and afterwards through
secondary Gods called Intelligences— poured our the whole infinity of its powers by continuous
exchange from highest to lowest. In their phallic symbolism the Egyptians used the sperm to
represent the spiritual spheres, because each contains all that comes forth from it. The Chaldeans and
Egyptians also held that everything which is a result dwells in the cause of itself and turns to that
cause as the lotus to the sun. Accordingly, the Supreme Intellect, through its Paternal Foundation,
first created light— the angelic world. Out of that light were then created the invisible hierarchies of
beings which some call the stars; and out of the stars the four elements and the sensible world were
formed. Thus all are in all, after their respective kinds. All visible bodies or elements are in the
invisible stars or spiritual elements, and the stars are likewise in those bodies; the stars are in the

angels and the angels in the stars; the angels are in God and God is in all. Therefore, all are divinely in
the Divine, angelically in the angels, and corporeally in the corporeal world, and vice versa, just as the
seed is the tree folded up, so the world is God unfolded.

Proclus says: "Every property of divinity permeates all creation and gives itself to all inferior creatures.
"One of the manifestations of the Supreme Mind is the power of reproduction according to species
which it confers upon every creature of which it is the divine part. Thus souls, heavens, elements,
animals, plants, and stones generate themselves each according to its pattern, but all are dependent
upon the one fertilizing principle existing in the Supreme Mind. The fecundative power, though of
itself a unit, manifests differently through the various substances, for in the mineral it contributes to
material existence, in the plant it manifests as vitality, and in the animal as sensibility. It imparts
motion to the heavenly bodies, thought to the souls of men, intellectuality to the angels, and
superessentiality to God. Thus it is seen that all forms are of one substance and all life of one force,
and these are co-existent in the nature of the Supreme One.

This doctrine was first expounded by Plato. His disciple, Aristotle, set it forth in these words: "We say
that this Sensible World is an image of another; therefore since this world is vivid or alive, how much
more, then, that other must live. * * * Yonder, therefore, above the stellar virtues, stand other heavens
to be attained, like the heavens of this world; beyond them, because they are of a higher kind, brighter
and vaster; nor are they distant from each Other like this one, for they are incorporeal. Yonder, too,
exists an earth, not of inanimate matter, but vivid with animal life and all natural terrestrial
phenomena like this one, but of other kinds and perfections. There are plants, also, and gardens, and
flowing water; there are aquatic animals but of nobler species. Yonder is air and life appropriate to it,
all immortal. And although the life there is analogous to ours, yet it is nobler, seeing that it is
intellectual, perpetual and unalterable. For if anyone should object and ask, How in the world above
do the plants, etc. above mentioned find footing, we should answer that they do not have objective
existence, for they were produced by the primal Author in an absolute condition and without
exteriorization. They are, therefore, in the same case as intellect and soul; they suffer no defect such
as waste and corruption, since the beings yonder are full of energy, strength and joy, as living in a life
sublime and being the issue of one fount and of one quality, compounded of all like sweet savors,
delicate perfumes, harmonious color and sound, and other perfections. Nor do they move violently
about nor intermix nor corrupt each other, but each perfectly preserves its own essential character;
and they are simple and do not multiply as corporeal beings do."

In the midst of the Table is a great covered throne with a seated female figure representing Isis, but
here called the Pantomorphic lYNX. G. R. S. Mead defines the lYNX as "a transmitting intelligence."
Others have declared it to be a symbol of Universal Being. Over the head of the goddess the throne is
surmounted by a triple crown, and beneath her feet is the house of material substance. The threefold
crown is here symbolic of the Triune Divinity, called by the Egyptians the Supreme Mind, and
described in the Sepher ha Zohar as being "hidden and unrevealed." According to the Hebrew system
of Qabbalism, the Tree of the Sephiroth was divided into two parts, the upper invisible and the lower
visible. The upper consisted of three parts and the lower of seven. The three uncognizable Sephiroth
were called Kether, the Crown; Chochmah, Wisdom; and Binah, Understanding. These are too
abstract to permit of comprehension, whereas the lower seven spheres that came forth from them
were within the grasp of human consciousness. The central panel contains seven triads of figures.
These represent the lower Sephiroth, all emanating from the concealed threefold crown over the
throne.

Kircher writes: "The throne denotes the diffusion of the triform Supreme Mind along the universal
paths of the three worlds. Out of these three intangible spheres emerges the sensible universe, which
Plutarch calls the 'House of Horns' and the Egyptians, the 'Great Gate of the Gods.' The top of the
throne is in the midst of diffused serpent-shaped flames, indicating that the Supreme Mind is filled
with light and life, eternal and incorruptible, removed from all material contact. How the Supreme

Mind communicated His fire to all creatures is clearly set forth in the symbolism of the Table. The

Divine Fire is communicated c to lower spheres through the universal power of Nature personified by
the World Virgin, Isis, here denominated the lYNX, or the polymorphous all-containing Universal
Idea." The word Idea is here used in its Platonic sense. "Plato believed that there are eternal forms of
all possible things which exist without matter; and to these eternal and immaterial forms he gave the
name of ideas. In the Platonic sense, ideas were the patterns according to which the Deity fashioned
the phenomenal or ectypal world." (Sir W. Hamilton.)

Kircher describes the 21 figures in the central panel thus: "Seven principal triads, corresponding to
seven superior worlds, are shown in the central section of the Table. They all originate from the fiery,
invisible archetype [the triple crown of the throne]. The first, the Ophionic or lYNX Triad, V S W,
corresponds to the vital and fiery world and is the first intellectual world, called by the ancients the
Aetherium. Zoroaster says of it: 'Oh, what rigorous rulers this world has!' The second, or Ibimorphous
Triad, O Q R, corresponds to the second intellectual, or ethereal, world, and is concerned with the
principle of humidity. The third, or Nephtsean Triad, X Y Z, corresponds to the third intellectual and
ethereal [world] and is concerned with fecundity. These are the three triads of the ethereal worlds,
which correspond to the Father Foundation. Then follow the four triads of the sensible, or material,
worlds, of which the first two correspond to the sidereal worlds, G I K and y 8 8, namely, Osiris and
Isis, Sun and Moon, indicated by two bulls. They are followed by two triads—the Hecatine, LM N, and
the Serapsean, ^ r) 9, corresponding to the sublunary and subterranean worlds. These complete the
seven worlds of primary Genii ruling the natural universe. Psellus quotes Zoroaster: 'The Egyptians
and the Chaldeans, taught that there were seven corporeal worlds (i. e., worlds ruled by the
intellectual powers) ;the first is of pure fire; the second, third, and fourth, ethereal; the fifth, sixth, and
seventh, material; the seventh being the one called terrestrial and hater of light, and is located under
the Moon, comprising

1

5

' r

./r

I M fit

a q f

tYNX

ItClNtS

2 I'n jv

X Y Z

T f %

I" ■ if e

U &

•If ff

WESTCOTT'S KEY TO THE BEMBINE TABLE.

From Westcott's The Isiac Tablet.

Zoroaster declared that the number three shines throughout the world. This is revealed in the Bembine, Table by a series
of triads representing the creative impulses. Of the Isiac Table Alexandre Lenoir writes: "The Isiac Table, as a work of art,
is not of great interest, it is but a composition, rather cold and insignificant, whose figures, summarily sketched and
methodically placed near each other, give but little impression of life. But, if on the contrary after examining it, we
understand the purpose of the author, we become soon convinced that the Isiac Table is an image of the heavenly sphere
divided in small parts to be used very like, for general teaching. According to that idea, we can conclude that the Isiac

Table was originally the introduction to a collection followed by the Mysteries of Isis. It was engraved on copper in order
to be used in the ceremonial of initiation." (See New Essay on the Isiac Table.)

p. 60

within itself the matter called fundus, or foundation. 'These seven, plus the one invisible crown,
constitute the eight worlds. * * *

"Plato writes that it is needful for the philosopher to know how the seven circles beneath the first one
are arranged according to the Egyptians. The first triad of fire denotes life; the second, water, over
which rule the Ibimorphous divinities; and the third, air, ruled by Nephta. From the fire the heavens
were created, from the water the earth, and air was the mediator between them. In the Sephira
Yetzirah it is said that from the three originate the seven, i. e., the height, the depth, the East, the
West, the North, and the South, and the Holy Temple in the center sustaining them all. Is not the
Holy Temple in the center the great throne of the many-formed Spirit of Nature which is shoAAOi in the
middle of the Tablet? What are the seven triads but the seven Powers that rule over the world? Psellus
writes: 'The Egyptians worshipped the triad of faith, truth, and love; and the seven fountains: the Sun
as ruler—the fountain of matter; then the fountain of the archangels; the fountain of the senses; of
judgment; of lightning; of reflections; and of characters of unknown composition. They say that the
highest material fountains are those of Apollo, Osiris, and Mercury— the fountains of the centers of
the elements. 'Thus, they understood by the Sun as ruler the solar world; by the material archangelic,
the lunar world; by the fountain of the senses, the world of Saturn; by judgment, Jupiter; by lightning.
Mars; by that of the reflections, or mirrors, the world of Venus; by the fountain of characters, the
world of Mercury. All these are shown by the figures in the center pane of the Tablet."

The upper panel contains the twelve figures of the zodiac arranged in four triads. The center figure in
each group represents one of the four fixed signs of the zodiac. S is the sign of Aquarius; Z, Taurus; C,
Leo; and G, Scorpio. These are called the Fathers. In the secret teachings of the Far East these four
figures— the man, the bull, the lion, and the eagle— are called the winged globes or the four
Maharajahs who stand upon the corners of creation. The four cardinal signs— P, Capricorn; X, Aries;
B, Cancer; F, Libra— are called the Powers. The four common signs— V, Pisces; A, Gemini; E, Virgo; H,
Sagittarius— are called the Minds of the Four Lords. This explains the meaning of the winged globes of
Egypt, for the four central figures— Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio (called by Ezekiel the
Cherubim)— are the globes; the cardinal and common signs on either side are the wings. Therefore the
twelve signs of the zodiac may be symbolized by four globes, each with two wings.

The celestial triads are further shown by the Egyptians as a globe (the Father) from which issue a
serpent (the Mind) and wings (the Power). These twelve forces are the fabricators of the world, and
from them emanate the microcosm, or the mystery of the twelve sacred animals— representing in the
universe the twelve parts of the world and in man the twelve parts of the human body. Anatomically,
the twelve figures in the upper panel may well symbolize the twelve convolutions of the brain and the
twelve figures in the lower panel the twelve zodiacal members and organs of the human body, for man
is a creature formed of the twelve sacred animals with his members and organs under the direct
control of the twelve governors or powers resident in the brain.

A more profound interpretation is found in the correspondences between the twelve figures in the
upper panel and the twelve in the lower. This furnishes a key to one of the most arcane of ancient
secrets— the relationship existing between the two great zodiacs the fixed and the movable. The fixed
zodiac is described as an immense dodecahedron, its twelve surfaces representing the outermost
walls of abstract space. From each surface of this dodecahedron a great spiritual power, radiating
inward, becomes embodied as one of the hierarchies of the movable zodiac, which is a band of
circumambulating so-called fixed stars. Within this movable zodiac are posited the various planetary
and elemental bodies. The relation of these two zodiacs to the subzodiacal spheres has a correlation in

the respiratory system of the human body. The great fixed zodiac maybe said to represent the

atmosphere, the movable zodiac the lungs, and the subzodiacal worlds the body. The spiritual
atmosphere containing the vivifying energies of the twelve divine powers of the great fixed zodiac is
inhaled by the cosmic lungs—the movable zodiac—and distributed by them through the constitution
of the twelve holy animals which are the parts and members of the material universe. The functional
cycle is completed when the poisonous effluvia of the lower worlds collected by the movable zodiac
are exhaled into the great fixed zodiac, there to be purified by being passed through the divine natures
of its twelve eternal hierarchies.

The Table as a whole is susceptible of many interpretations. If the border of the Table with its
hieroglyphic figures be accepted as the spiritual source, then the throne in the center represents the
physical body within which human nature is enthroned. From this point of view the entire Table
becomes emblematic of the auric bodies of man, with the border as the outer extremity or shell of the
auric egg. If the throne be accepted as the symbol of the spiritual sphere, the border typifies the
elements, and the various panels surrounding the central one become emblematic of the worlds or
planes emanating from the one divine source. If the Table be considered from a purely physical basis,
the throne becomes symbolic of the generative system and the Table reveals the secret processes of
embryology as applied to the formation of the material worlds. If a purely physiological and
anatomical interpretation be desired, the central throne becomes the heart, the Ibimorphous Triad
the mind, the Nephteean Triad the generative system, and the surrounding hieroglyphics the various
parts and members of the human body. From the evolutionary viewpoint the central gate becomes the
point of both entrance and exit. Here also is set forth the process of initiation, in which the candidate
after passing successfully through the various ordeals is finally brought into the presence of his own
soul, which he alone is capable of unveiling.

If cosmogony be the subject of consideration, the central panel represents the spiritual worlds, the
upper panel the intellectual worlds, and the lower panel the material worlds. The central panel may
also symbolize the nine invisible worlds, and the creature marked Tthe physical nature— the footstool
of Isis, the Spirit of Universal Life. Considered in the light of alchemy, the central panel contains the
metals and the borders the alchemical processes. The figure seated on the throne is the Universal
Mercury— the "stone of the wise"; the flaming canopy of the throne above is the Divine Sulphur; and
the cube of earth beneath is the elemental salt.

The three triads—or the Paternal Foundation— in the central panel represent the Silent Watchers, the
three invisible parts of the nature of man; the two panels on either side are the quaternary lower
nature of man. In the central panel are 21 figures. This number is sacred to the sun— which consists of
three great powers, each with seven attributes— and by Qabbalistic reduction 21 becomes 3, or the
Great Triad.

It will yet be proved that the Table of Isis is directly connected with Egyptian Gnosticism, for in a
Gnostic papyrus preserved in the Bodleian Library there is a direct reference to the twelve Fathers or
Paternities beneath whom are twelve Fountains. (See Egyptian Magic by S.S.D.D.) That the lower
panel represents the underworld is further emphasized by the two gates— the great gate of the East
and the great gate of the West— for in the Chaldean theology the sun rises and sets through gates in
the underworld, where it wanders during the hours of darkness. As Plato was for thirteen years under
the instruction of the Magi Patheneith, Ochoaps, Sechtnouphis, and Etymon of Sebbennithis, his
philosophy consequently is permeated with the Chaldean and Egyptian system of triads. The Bembine
Table is a diagrammatic exposition of the so-called Platonic philosophy, for in its design is epitomized
the entire theory of mystic cosmogony and generation. The most valuable guide to the interpretation
of this Table is the Commentaries ofProclus on the Theology of Plato. The Chaldean Oracles of
Zoroaster also contains many allusions to the theogonic principles which are demonstrated by the
Table.

The Theogony of Hesiod contains the most complete account of the Greek cosmogony myth. Orphic
cosmogony has left its impress upon the various forms of philosophy and religion—Greek, Egyptian,
and Syrian—which it contacted. Chief of the Orphic symbols was the mundane egg from which
Phanes sprang into light. Thomas Taylor considers the Orphic egg to be synonymous with the mixture
from bound and infinity mentioned by Plato in the Philebus. The egg is furthermore the third
Intelligible Triad and the proper symbol of the Demiurgus, whose auric body is the egg of the inferior
universe.

Eusebius, on the authority of Porphyry, declared that the Egyptians acknowledged one intellectual
Author or Creator of the world under the name of Cneph and that they worshiped him in a statue of
human form and dark blue complexion, holding in his hand a girdle and a scepter, wearing on his
head a royal plume, and thrusting forth an egg out of his mouth. (See An Analysis of the Egyptian
Mythology) While the Bembine Table is rectangular-shaped, it signifies philosophically the Orphic
egg of the universe with its contents. In the esoteric doctrines the supreme individual achievement is
the breaking of the Orphic egg, which is equivalent to the return of the spirit to the Nirvana—the
absolute condition— of the Oriental mystics.

The New Pantheon by Samuel Boyse contains three plates showing various sections of the Bembine
Table. The author, however, makes no important contribution to the knowledge of the subject. In The
Mythology and Fables of the Ancients Explained from History, the Abbe Banier devotes a chapter to
a consideration of the Mensa Isiaca. After reviewing the conclusions of Montfaucon, Kircher, and
Pignorius, he adds: "I am of the opinion that: it was a votive table, which some prince or private
person had consecrated to Isis, as an acknowledgment for some benefit which he believed she had
conferred upon him."

p. 61

Wonders of Antiquity

IT was a common practice among the early Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans to seal lighted lamps in
the sepulchers of their dead as offerings to the God of Death. Possibly it was also believed that the
deceased could use these lights in finding his way through the Valley of the Shadow. Later as the
custom became generally established, not only actual lamps but miniatures of them in terra cotta
were buried with the dead. Some of the lamps were enclosed in circular vessels for protection; and
instances have been recorded in which the original oil was found in them, in a perfect state of
preservation, after more than 2,000 years. There is ample proof that many of these lamps were
burning when the sepulchers were sealed, and it has been declared that they were still burning when
the vaults were opened hundreds of years later. The possibility of preparing a fuel which would renew
itself as rapidly as it was consumed has been a source of considerable controversy among mediseval
authors. After due consideration of the evidence at hand, it seems well within the range of possibility
that the ancient priest-chemists did manufacture lamps that burned, if not indefinitely, at least for
considerable periods of time.

Numerous authorities have written on the subject of ever-burning lamps. W. Wynn Westcott
estimates the number of writers who have given the subject consideration as more than 150, and H. P.
Blavatsky as 173. While conclusions reached by different authors are at variance, a majority admit the
existence of these phenomenal lamps. Only a few maintained that the lamps would burn forever, but
many were willing to concede that they might remain alight for several centuries without
replenishment of the fuel. Some considered the so-called perpetual lights as mere artifices of the
crafty pagan priests, while a great many, admitting that the lamps actually burned, made the
sweeping assertion that the Devil was using this apparent miracle to ensnare the credulous and
thereby lead their souls to perdition.

On this subject the learned Jesuit, Athanasius Kircher, usually dependable, exhibits a striking
inconsistency. In his CEdipus ^gyptiacus he writes: "Not a few of these ever-burning lamps have
been found to be the devices of devils, * * * And I take it that all the lamps found in the tombs of the
Gentiles dedicated to the worship of certain gods, were of this kind, not because they burned, or have
been reported to burn, with a perpetual flame, but because probably the devil set them there,
maliciously intending thereby to obtain fresh credence for a false worship."

Having admitted that dependable authorities defend the existence of the ever-burning lamps, and
that even the Devil lends himself to their manufacture, Kircher next declared the entire theory to be
desperate and impossible, and to be classed with perpetual motion and the Philosopher's Stone.
Having already solved the problem to his satisfaction once, Kircher solves it again—but differently—in
the following words: "In Egypt there are rich deposits of asphalt and petroleum. What did these clever
fellows [the priests] do, then, but connect an oil deposit by a secret duct with one or more lamps,
provided with wicks of asbestos! How could such lamps help burning perpetually? * * * In my opinion
this is the solution of the riddle of the supernatural everlastingness of these ancient lamps."

Montfaucon, in his Antiquities, agrees in the main with the later deductions of Kircher, believing the
fabled perpetual lamps of the temples to be cunning mechanical contrivances. He further adds that
the belief that lamps burned indefinitely in tombs was the result of the noteworthy fact that in some
cases fumes resembling smoke poured forth from the entrances of newly opened vaults. Parties going
in later and discovering lamps scattered about the floor assumed that they were the source of the
fumes.

There are several interesting stories concerning the discoveries of ever-burning lamps in various parts
of the world. In a tomb on the Appian Way which was opened during the papacy of Paul III was found
a burning lamp which had remained alight in a hermetically sealed vault for nearly 1,600 years.
According to an account written by a contemporary, a body—that of a young and beautiful girl with
long golden hair —was found floating in an unknown transparent liquid and as well preserved as
though death had occurred but a few hours before. About the interior of the vault were a number of
significant objects, which included several lamps, one of them alight. Those entering the sepulcher
declared that the draft caused by the opening of the door blew out the light and the lamp could not be
relighted. Kircher reproduces an epitaph, "TULLIOLAE FILIAE MEAE," supposedly found in the
tomb, but which Montfaucon declares never existed, the latter adding that although conclusive
evidence was not found, the body was generally believed to be that of TuUiola, the daughter of Cicero.

Ever-burning lamps have been discovered in all parts of the world. Not only the Mediterranean
countries but also India, Tibet, China, and South America have contributed records of lights which
burned continuously without fuel. The examples which follow were selected at random from the
imposing list of perpetual lamps found in different ages.

Plutarch wrote of a lamp that burned over the door of a temple to Jupiter Ammon; the priests
declared that it had remained alight for centuries without fuel.

St. Augustine described a perpetual lamp, guarded in a temple in Egypt sacred to Venus, which
neither wind nor water could extinguish. He believed it to be the work of the Devil.

An ever-burning lamp was found at Edessa, or Antioch, during the reign of the Emperor Justinian. It
was in a niche over the city gate, elaborately enclosed to protect it from the elements. The date upon it
proved that the lamp had been burning for more than 500 years. It was destroyed by soldiers.

During the early Middle Ages a lamp was found in England which had burned since the third century
after Christ. The monument containing it was believed to be the tomb of the father of Constantine the
Great.

The Lantern of Pallas was discovered near Rome in A.D. 1401. It was found in the sepulcher of Pallas,
son of Evander, immortalized by Virgil in his ^nezd. The lamp was placed at the head of the body and
had burned with a steady glow for more than 2,000 years.

In A.D. 1550 on the island of Nesis, in the Bay of Naples, a magnificent marble vault was opened in
which was found a lamp still alight which had been placed there before the beginning of the Christian
Era.

Pausanias described a beautiful golden lamp in the temple of Minerva which burned steadily for a
year without refueling or having the wick trimmed. The ceremony of filling the lamp took place
annually, and time was measured by the ceremony.

According to the Fama Fraternitatis, the crypt of Christian Rosencreutz when opened 120 years after
his death was found to be brilliantly illuminated by a perpetual lamp suspended from the ceiling.

Numa Pompilius, King of Rome and magician of considerable power, caused a perpetual light to burn
in the dome of a temple he had created in honor of an elemental being.

In England a curious tomb was found containing

BASE OF A DELPHIAN TRIPOD.

From Montfaucon's Antiquities.

The windings of these serpents formed the base, and the three heads sustained the three feet of the tripod. It is impossible
to secure satisfactory information concerning the shape and size of the celebrated Delphian tripod. Theories concerning it
are based (in most part) upon small ornamental tripods discovered in various temples.

THE DELPHIAN TRIPOD RESTORED.

From Beaumont's Gleanings of Antiquities.

According to Beaumont, the above is the most authentic form of the Delphian tripod extant; but as the tripod must have
changed considerably during the life of the oracle, hasty conclusions are unwise. In his description of the tripod,
Beaumont divides it into four Parts: (i) a frame with three (2), a reverberating basin or bowl set in the frame; (e) a flat
plate or table upon which the Pythia sat; and (4) a cone-shaped cover over the table, which completely concealed the
priestess and from beneath which her voice sounded forth in weird and hollow tones. Attempts have been made to relate
the Delphian tripod with the Jewish Ark of the Covenant. The frame of three legs was likened to the Ark of the Covenant;
the flat plate or table to the Mercy Seat; and the cone-shaped covering to the tent of the Tabernacle itself. This entire

conception differs widely from that popularly accepted, but discloses a valuable analogy between Jewish and Greek
symbolism.

p. 62

an automaton which moved when certain stones in the floor of the vault were stepped upon by an
intruder. At that time the Rosicrucian controversy was at its height, so it was decided that the tomb
was that of a Rosicrucian initiate. A countryman, discovering the tomb and entering, found the
interior brilliantly lighted by a lamp hanging from the ceiling. As he walked, his weight depressed
some of the floor stones. At once a seated figure in heavy armor began to move. Mechanically it rose
to its feet and struck the lamp with an iron baton, completely destroying it, and thus effectually
preventing the discovery of the secret substance which maintained the flame. How long the lamp had
burned is unknown, but certainly it had been for a considerable number of years.

It is related that among the tombs near Memphis and in the Brahmin temples of India lights have
been found in sealed chambers and vessels, but sudden exposure to the air has extinguished them and
caused their fuel to evaporate.

It is now believed that the wicks of these perpetual lamps were made of braided or woven asbestos,
called by the alchemists salamander's wool, and that the fuel was one of the products of alchemical
research. Kircher attempted to extract oil from asbestos, being convinced that as the substance itself
was indestructible by fire an oil extracted from it would supply the lamp with a fuel likewise
indestructible. After spending two years in fruitless experimental work, he concluded that the task
was impossible of accomplishment.

Several formulae for the making of the fuel for the lamps have been preserved. In Isis Unveiled, H. P.
Blavatsky reprints two of these formulee from early authors—Tritenheim and Bartolomeo Korndorf.
One will suffice to give a general understanding of the process:

"Sulphur. Alum ust. a □ iv.; sublime them into flowers to □ ij., of which add of crystalline Venetian
borax (powdered) □ j.; upon these affuse high rectified spirit of wine and digest it, then abstract it
and pour on fresh; repeat this so often till the sulphur melts like wax without any smoke, upon a hot
plate of brass: this is for the pabulum, but the wick is to be prepared after this manner: gather the
threads or thrums of the Lapis asbestos, to the thickness of your middle and the length of your little
finger, then put them into a Venetian glass, and covering them over with the aforesaid depurated
sulphur or aliment set the glass in sand for the space of twenty-four hours, so hot that the sulphur
may bubble all the while. The wick being thus besmeared and anointed, is to be put into a glass like a
scallop-shell, in such manner that some part of it may lie above the mass of prepared sulphur; then
setting this glass upon hot sand, you must melt the sulphur, so that it may lay hold of the wick, and
when it is lighted, it will burn with a perpetual flame and you may set this lamp in any place where
you please."

THE GREEK ORACLES

The worship of Apollo included the establishment and maintenance of places of prophecy by means of
which the gods could communicate with mankind and reveal futurity to such as deserved the boon.
The early history of Greece abounds with accounts of talking trees, rivers, statues, and caves in which
nymphs, dryads, or dsemons had taken up their abodes and from which they delivered oracles. While
Christian authors have tried to prove that oracular revelations were delivered by the Devil for the
purpose of misleading humanity, they have not dared to attack the theory of oracles, because of the
repeated reference to it in their own sacred writings. If the onyx stones on the shoulders of Israel's
high priest made known by their flashings the will of Jehovah, then a black dove, temporarily
endowed with the faculty of speech, could indeed pronounce oracles in the temple of Jupiter Ammon.

If the witch of Endor could invoke the shade of Samuel, who in turn gave prophecies to Saul, could
not a priestess of Apollo call up the specter of her liege to foretell the destiny of Greece?

The most famous oracles of antiquity were those of Delphi, Dodona, Trophonius, and Latona, of
which the talking oak trees of Dodona were the oldest. Though it is impossible to trace back to the
genesis of the theory of oracular prophecy, it is known that many of the caves and fissures set aside by
the Greeks as oracles were sacred long before the rise of Greek culture.

The oracle of Apollo at Delphi remains one of the unsolved mysteries of the ancients. Alexander
Wilder derives the name Delphi from delphos, the womb. This name was chosen by the Greeks be
cause of the shape of the cavern and the vent leading into the depths of the earth. The original name
of the oracle was Pytho, so called because its chambers had been the abode of the great serpent
Python, a fearsome creature that had crept out of the slime left by the receding flood that had
destroyed all human beings except Deucalion and Pyrrha. Apollo, climbing the side of Mount
Parnassus, slew the serpent after a prolonged combat, and threw the body down the fissure of the
oracle. From that time the Sun God, surnamed the Pythian Apollo, gave oracles from the vent. With
Dionysos he shared the honor of being the patron god of Delphi.

After being vanquished by Apollo, the spirit of Python remained at Delphi as the representative of his
conqueror, and it was with the aid of his effluvium that the priestess was able to become en rapport
with the god. The fumes rising from the fissure of the oracle were supposed to come from the
decaying body of Python. The name Pythoness, or Pythia, given to the female hierophant of the oracle,
means literally one who has been thrown into a religious frenzy by inhaling fumes rising from
decomposing matter. It is of further interest to note that the Greeks believed the oracle of Delphi to
be the umbilicus of the earth, thus proving that they considered the planet an immense human being.
The connection between the principle of oracular revelation and the occult significance of the navel is
an important secret belonging to the ancient Mysteries.

The oracle, however, is much older than the foregoing account indicates. A story of this kind was
probably invented by the priests to explain the phenomena to those inquisitive persons whom they
did not consider worthy of enlightenment regarding the true esoteric nature of the oracle. Some
believe that the Delphic fissure was discovered by a Hypoborean priest, but as far back as recorded
history goes the cave was sacred, and persons came from all parts of Greece and the surrounding
countries to question the daemon who dwelt in its chimney-like vent. Priests and priestesses guarded
it closely and served the spirit who dwelt therein and who enlightened humanity through the gift of
propheq'^.

The story of the original discovery of the oracle is somewhat as follows: Shepherds tending their
flocks on the side of Mount Parnassus were amazed at the peculiar antics of goats that wandered close
to a great chasm on its southwestern spur. The animals jumped about as though trying to dance, and
emitted strange cries unlike anything before heard. At last one of the shepherds, curious to learn the
cause of the phenomenon, approached the vent, from which were rising noxious fumes. Immediately
he was seized with a prophetic ecstasy; he danced with wild abandon, sang, jabbered inarticulate
sounds, and foretold future events. Others went close to the fissure, with the same result. The fame of
the place spread, and many came to learn of the future by inhaling the mephitic fumes, which
exhilarated to the verge of delirium.

Some of those who came, being unable to control themselves, and having temporarily the strength of
madmen, tore themselves from those seeking to restrain them, and, jumping into the vent, perished.
In order to prevent others from doing likewise, a wall was erected around the fissure and a prophetess
was appointed to act as mediator between the oracle and those who came to question it. According to
later authorities, a tripod of gold, ornamented with carvings of Apollo in the form of Python, the great
serpent, was placed over the cleft, and on this was arranged a specially prepared seat, so constructed

that a person would have difficulty in falling off while under the influence of the oracular fumes, just
before this time, a story had been circulated that the fumes of the oracle arose from the decaying body
of Python. It is possible that the oracle revealed its own origin.

For many centuries during its early history, virgin maidens were consecrated to the service of the
oracle. They were called the Phoebades, or Pythige, and constituted that famous order now known as
the Pythian priesthood. It is probable that women were chosen to receive the oracles because their
sensitive and emotional nature responded

THE PYTHIAN APOLLO.

From Historia Deorum Fatidicorum.

Apollo, the twin brother of Diana, was the son of Jupiter and Latona. Apollo was fully adult at the time of his birth. He was
considered to be the first physician and the inventor of music and song. The Greeks also acclaimed him to be father of the
bow and arrow. The famous temple of Apollo at Delphi was rebuilt five times. The first temple was formed only of laurel
branches; the second was somewhat similar; the third was brass and the fourth and fifth were probably of marble, of
considerable size and great beauty. No other oracle in Greece equaled in magnificence that of Delphi in the zenith of its
power. Writers declared that it contained many statues of solid gold and silver, marvelous ornaments, and implements of
the most valuable materials and beautiful workmanship, donated by princes and kings who came from all parts of the
civilized world to consult the spirit of Apollo dwelling in this sanctuary.

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more quickly and completely to "the fumes of enthusiasm." Three days before the time set to receive
the communications from Apollo, the virgin priestess began the ceremony of purification. She bathed
in the Castalian well, abstained from all food, drank only from the fountain of Cassotis, which was
brought into the temple through concealed pipes, and just before mounting the tripod, she chewed a
few leaves of the sacred bay tree. It has been said that the water was drugged to bring on distorted
visions, or the priests of Delphi were able to manufacture an exhilarating and intoxicating gas, which
they conducted by subterranean ducts and released into the shaft of the oracle several feet below the
surface. Neither of these theories has been proved, however, nor does either in anyway explain the
accuracy of the predictions.

When the young prophetess had completed the process of purification, she was clothed in sanctified
raiment and led to the tripod, upon which she seated herself, surrounded by the noxious vapors rising
from the yawning fissure. Gradually, as she inhaled the fumes, a change came over her. It was as if a
different spirit had entered her body. She struggled, tore her clothing, and uttered inarticulate cries.
After a time her struggles ceased. Upon becoming calm a great majesty seemed to posses her, and
with eyes fixed on space and body rigid, she uttered the prophetic words. The predictions were
usually in the form of hexameter verse, but the words were often ambiguous and sometimes
unintelligible. Every sound that she made, every motion of her body, was carefully recorded by the
five Hosii, or holy men, who were appointed as scribes to preserve the minutest details of each
divination. The Hosii were appointed for life, and were chosen from the direct descendants of
Deucalion.

After the oracle was delivered, the Pjithia began to struggle again, and the spirit released her. She was
then carried or supported to a chamber of rest, where she remained till the nervous ecstasy had
passed away.

lamblichus, in his dissertation on The Mysteries, describes how the spirit of the oracle~a fiery
daemon, even Apollo himself —took control of the Pythoness and manifested through her: "But the
prophetess in Delphi, whether she gives oracles to mankind through an attenuated and fiery spirit,
bursting from the mouth of the cavern; or whether being seated in the adytum on a brazen tripod, or
on a stool with four feet, she becomes sacred to the God; whichsoever of these is the case, she entirely
gives herself up to a divine spirit, and is illuminated with a ray of divine fire. And when, indeed, fire
ascending from the mouth of the cavern circularly invests her in collected abundance, she becomes
filled from it with a divine splendour. But when she places herself on the seat of the God, she becomes
co-adapted to his stable prophetic power: and from both of these preparatory operations she becomes
wholly possessed by the God. And then, indeed, he is present with and illuminates her in a separate
manner, and is different from the lire, the spirit, the proper seat, and, in short, from all the visible
apparatus of the place, whether physical or sacred."

Among the celebrities who visited the oracle of Delphi were the immortal Apollonius of Tyana and his
disciple Damis. He made his offerings and, after being crowned with a laurel wreath and given a
branch of the same plant to carry in his hand, he passed behind the statue of Apollo which stood
before the entrance to the cave, and descended into the sacred place of the oracle. The priestess was
also crowned with laurel and her head bound with a band of white wool. Apollonius asked the oracle
if his name would be remembered by future generations. The Pythoness answered in the affirmative,
but declared that it would always be calumniated. Apollonius left the cavern in anger, but time has
proved the accuracy of the prediction, for the early church fathers perpetuated the name of
Apollonius as the Antichrist. (For details of the story see Histoire de la Magie.)

The messages given by the virgin prophetess were turned over to the philosophers of the oracle,
whose duty it was to interpret and apply them. The communications were then delivered to the poets,
who immediately translated them into odes and lyrics, setting forth in exquisite form the statements
supposedly made by Apollo and making them available for the populace.

Serpents were much in evidence at the oracle of Delphi. The base of the tripod upon which the Pythia
sat was formed of the twisted bodies of three gigantic snakes. According to some authorities, one of
the processes used to produce the prophetic ecstasy was to force the young priestess to gaze into the
eyes of a serpent. Fascinated and hypnotized, she then spoke with the voice of the god.

Although the early Pythian priestesses were always maidens—some still in their teens—a law was later
enacted that only women past fifty years of age should be the mouthpiece of the oracle. These older
women dressed as young girls and went through the same ceremonial as the first Pjithiae. The change

was probably the indirect result of a series of assaults made upon the persons of the priestesses by the
profane.

During the early history of the Delphian oracle the god spoke only at each seventh birthday of Apollo.
As time went on, however, the demand became so great that the Pjithia was forced to seat herself
upon the tripod every month. The times selected for the consultation and the questions to be asked
were determined by lot or by vote of the inhabitants of Delphi.

It is generally admitted that the effect of the Delphian oracle upon Greek culture was profoundly
constructive. James Gardner sums up its influence in the following words: "It responses revealed
many a tyrant and foretold his fate. Through its means many an unhappy being was saved from
destruction and many a perplexed mortal guided in the right way. It encouraged useful institutions,
and promoted the progress of useful discoveries. Its moral influence was on the side of virtue, and its
political influence in favor of the advancement of civil liberty." (See The Faiths of The World.)

The oracle of Dodona was presided over by Jupiter, who uttered prophecies through oak trees, birds,
and vases of brass. Many writers have noted the similarities between the rituals of Dodona and those
of the Druid priests of Britain and Gaul. The famous oracular dove of Dodona, alighting upon the
branches of the sacred oaks, not only discoursed at length in the Greek tongue upon philosophy and
religion, but also answered the queries of those who came from distant places to consult it.

The "talking" trees stood together, forming a sacred grove. When the priests desired answers to
important questions, after careful and solemn purifications they retired to the grove. They then
accosted the trees, beseeching a reply from the god who dwelt therein. When they had stated their
questions, the trees spoke with the voices of human beings, revealing to the priests the desired
information. Some assert that there was but one tree which spoke—an oak or a beech standing in the
very heart of the ancient grove. Because Jupiter was believed to inhabit this tree he was sometimes
called Phegonaeus, or one who lives in a beech tree.

Most curious of the oracles of Dodona were the "talking" vases, or kettles. These were made of brass
and so carefully fashioned that when struck they gave off sound for hours. Some writers have
described a row of these vases and have declared that if one of them was struck its vibrations would
be communicated to all the others and a terrifying din ensue. Other authors describe a large single
vase, standing upon a pillar, near which stood another column, supporting the statue of a child
holding a whip. At the end of the whip were a number of swinging cords tipped with small metal balls,
and the wind, which blew incessantly through the open building, caused the balls to strike against the
vase. The number and intensity of the impacts and the reverberations of the vase were all carefully
noted, and the priests delivered their oracles accordingly.

When the original priests of Dodona~the 5e//o2~mysteriously vanished, the oracle was served for
many centuries by three priestesses who interpreted the vases and at midnight interrogated the
sacred trees. The patrons of the oracles were expected to bring offerings and to make contributions.

Another remarkable oracle was the Cave of Trophonius, which stood upon the side of a hill with an
entrance so small that it seemed impossible for a human being to enter. After the consultant had
made his offering at the statue of Trophonius and had donned the sanctified garments, he climbed the
hill to the cave, carrying in one hand a cake of honey. Sitting down at the edge of the opening, he
lowered his feet into the cavern. Thereupon his entire body was precipitately

THE DODONEAN JUPITER.

From Historia Deorum Fatidicorum.

Jupiter was called Dodonean after the city of Dodona in Epirus. Near this city was a hill thickly covered with oak trees
which from the most ancient times had been sacred to Jupiter. The grove was further venerated because dryads, fauns,
satyrs, and nymphs were believed to dwell in its depths. From the ancient oaks and beeches were hung many chains of
tiny bronze bells which tinkled day and night as the wind swayed the branches. Some assert that the celebrated talking
dove of Dodona was in reality a woman, because in Thessaly both prophetesses and doves were called Peleiadas. It is
supposed that the first temple of Dodona was erected by Deucalion and those who survived the great flood with him. For
this reason the oracle at Dodona was considered the oldest in Greece.

p. 64

drawn into the cave, which was described by those who had entered it as having only the dimensions
of a fair-sized oven. When the oracle had completed its revelation, the consultant, usually delirious,
was forcibly ejected from the cave, feet foremost.

Near the cave of the oracle two fountains bubbled out of the earth within a few feet of each other.
Those about to enter the cave drank first from these fountains, the waters of which seemed to possess
peculiar occult properties. The first contained the water of forgetfulness, and all who drank thereof
forgot their earthly sorrows. From the second fountain flowed the sacred water of Mnemosyne, or
remembrance, for later it enabled those who partook of it to recall their experiences while in the cave.

Though its entrance was marked by two brass obelisks, the cave, surrounded by a wall of white stones
and concealed in the heart of a grove of sacred trees, did not present an imposing appearance. There
is no doubt that those entering it passed through strange experiences, for they were obliged to leave at
the adjacent temple a complete account of what they saw and heard while in the oracle. The
prophecies were given in the form of dreams and visions, and were accompanied by severe pains in
the head; some never completely recovered from the after effects of their delirium. The confused
recital of their experiences was interpreted by the priests according to the question to be answered.
While the priests probably used some unknown herb to produce the dreams or visions of the cavern,
their skill in interpreting them bordered on the Supernatural. Before consulting the oracle, it was

necessary to offer a ram to the daemon of the cave, and the priest decided by hieromanqr whether the
time chosen was propitious and the sacrifice was satisfactory.

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Many of the sculptors and architects of the ancient world were initiates of the Mysteries, particularly
the Eleusinian rites. Since the dawn of time, the truers of stone and the hewers of wood have
constituted a divinely overshadowed caste. As civilization spread slowly over the earth, cities were
built and deserted; monuments were erected to heroes at present unknown; temples were built to
gods who lie broken in the dust of the nations they inspired. Research has proved not only that the
builders of these cities and monuments and the sculptors who chiseled out the inscrutable faces of the
gods were masters of their crafts, but that in the world today there are none to equal them. The
profound knowledge of mathematics and astronomy embodied in ancient architecture, and the
equally profound knowledge of anatomy revealed in Greek statuary, prove that the fashioners of both
were master minds, deeply cultured in the wisdom which constituted the arcana of the
Mysteries .Thus was established the Guild of the Builders, progenitors of modern Freemasons. When
employed to build palaces, temples or combs, or to carve statues for the wealthy, those initiated
architects and artists concealed in their works the secret doctrine, so that now, long after their bones
have returned to dust, the world realizes that those first artisans were indeed duly initiated and
worthy to receive the wages of Master Masons.

The Seven Wonders of the World, while apparently designed for divers reasons, were really
monuments erected to perpetuate the arcana of the Mysteries. They were symbolic structures, placed
in peculiar spots, and the real purpose of their erection can be sensed only by the initiated. Eliphas
Levi has noted the marked correspondence between these Seven Wonders and the seven planets. The
Seven Wonders of the World were built by Widow's sons in honor of the seven planetary genii. Their
secret symbolism is identical with that of the seven seals of Revelation and the seven churches of Asia.

1. The Colossus of Rhodes, a gigantic brass statue about 109 feet in height and requiring over twelve
years to build, was the work of an initiated artist. Chares of Lindus. The popular theory—accepted for
several hundred years—that the figure stood with one foot on each side of the entrance to the harbor
of Rhodes and that full-rigged ships passed between its feet, has never been substantiated.
Unfortunately, the figure remained standing but fifty-six years, being thrown down by an earthquake
in 224 B.C. The shattered parts of the Colossus lay scattered about the ground for more than 900
years, when they were finally sold to a Jewish merchant, who carried the metal away on the backs of
700 camels. Some believed that the brass was converted into munitions and others that it was made
into drainage pipes. This gigantic gilded figure, with its crown of solar rays and its upraised torch,
signified occultly the glorious Sun Man of the Mysteries, the Universal Savior.

2. The architect Ctesiphon, in the fifth century B.C., submitted to the Ionian cities a plan for erecting
a joint monument to their patron goddess, Diana. The place chosen was Ephesus, a city south of
Smyrna. The building was constructed of marble. The roof was supported by 127 columns, each 60
feet high and weighing over 150 tons. The temple was destroyed by black magic about 356 B.C., but
the world fixes the odious crime upon the tool by means of which the destruction was accomplished—
a mentally deranged man named Herostratus. It was later rebuilt, but the symbolism was lost. The
original temple, designed as a miniature of the universe, was dedicated to the moon, the occult
symbol of generation.

3. Upon his exile from Athens, Phidias— the greatest of all the Greek sculptors— went to Olympia in the
province of Elis and there designed his colossal statue of Zeus, chief of the gods of Greece. There is
not even an accurate description of this masterpiece now in existence; only a few old coins give an
inadequate idea of its general appearance. The body of the god was overlaid with ivory and the robes
were of beaten gold. In one hand he is supposed to have held a globe supporting a figure of the

Goddess of Victory, in the other a scepter surmounted by an eagle. The head of Zeus was archaic,
heavily bearded, and crowned with an olive wreath. The statue was seated upon an elaborately
decorated throne. As its name implies, the monument was dedicated to the spirit of the planet
Jupiter,~one of the seven Logi who bow before the Lord of the Sun.

4. Eliphas Levi includes the Temple of Solomon among the Seven Wonders of the World, giving it the
place occupied by the Pharos, or Lighthouse, of Alexandria. The Pharos, named for the island upon
which it stood, was designed and constructed by Sostratus of Cnidus during the reign of Ptolemy
(283-247 B.C.). It is described as being of white marble and over 600 feet high. Even in that ancient
day it cost nearly a million dollars. Fires were lighted in the top of it and could be seen for miles out at
sea. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the thirteenth century, but remains of it were visible until

A. D. 1350. Being the tallest of all the Wonders, it: was naturally assigned to Saturn, the Father of the
gods and the true illuminator of all humanity.

5. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a magnificent monument erected by Queen Artemisia in
memory of her dead husband. King Mausolus, from whose name the word mausoleum is derived. The
designers of the building were Satyrus and P5l;his, and four great sculptors were employed to
ornament the edifice. The building, which was 114 feet long and 92 feet wide, was divided into five
major sections (the senses) and surmounted by a pyramid (the spiritual nature of man). The pyramid
rose in 24 steps (a sacred number), and upon the apex was a statue of King Mausolus in a chariot. His
figure was 9 feet 9V2 inches tall. Many attempts have been made to reconstruct the monument, which,
was destroyed by an earthquake, but none has been altogether successful. This monument was sacred
to the planet Mars and was built by an initiate for the enlightenment of the world.

6. The Gardens of Semiramis at Babylon—more commonly known as the Hanging Gardens—stood
within the palace grounds of Nebuchadnezzar, near the Euphrates River. They rose in a terrace-like

pyramid and on the top was a reservoir for the watering of the gardens. They were built about 600

B. C., but the name of the landscape artist has not been preserved. They symbolized the planes of the
invisible world, and were consecrated to Venus as the goddess of love and beauty.

7. The Great Pyramid was supreme among the temples of the Mysteries. In order to be true to its
astronomical symbolism, it must have been constructed about 70,000 years ago. It was the tomb of
Osiris, and was believed to have been built by the gods themselves, and the architect may have been
the immortal Hermes. It is the monument of Mercury, the messenger of the gods, and the universal
symbol of wisdom and letters.

TROPHONIUS OF LEBADIA.

from Historia Deorum Fatidicorum.

Trophonius and his brother Agamedes were famous architects. While building a certain treasure vault, they contrived to
leave one stone movable so that they might secretly enter and steal the valuables stored there. A trap was set by the owner,
who had discovered the plot, and Agamedes was caught. To prevent discovery, Trophonius decapitated his brother and
fled, hotly pursued. He hid in the grove of Lebadia, where the earth opened and swallowed him up. The spirit of
Trophonius thereafter delivered oracles in the grove and its caverns. The name Trophonius means "to be agitated, excited,
or roiled." It was declared that the terrible experiences through which consultants passed in the oracular caverns so
affected them that they never smiled again. The bees which accompany the figure of Trophonius were sacred because they
led the first envoys from Boetia to the site of the oracle. The figure above is said to be a production of a statue of
Trophonius which was placed on the brow of the hill above the oracle and surrounded with sharply pointed stakes that it
could not be touched.

p-65

The Life and Philosophy of Pythagoras

WHILE Mnesarchus, the father of Pythagoras, was in the city of Delphi on matters pertaining to his
business as a merchant, he and his wife, Parthenis, decided to consult the oracle of Delphi as to
whether the Fates were favorable for their return voyage to Syria. When the Pythoness (prophetess of
Apollo) seated herself on the golden tripod over the yawning vent of the oracle, she did not answer the
question they had asked, but told Mnesarchus that his wife was then with child and would give birth
to a son who was destined to surpass all men in beauty and wisdom, and who throughout the course
of his life would contribute much to the benefit of mankind. Mnesarchus was so deeply impressed by
the prophecy that he changed his wife's name to Pythasis, in honor of the Pythian priestess. When the
child was born at Sidon in Phoenicia, it was—as the oracle had said~a son. Mnesarchus and Pythasis
named the child Pythagoras, for they believed that he had been predestined by the oracle.

Many strange legends have been preserved concerning the birth of Pythagoras. Some maintained that
he was no mortal man: that he was one of the gods who had taken a human body to enable him to
come into the world and instruct the human race. Pythagoras was one of the many sages and saviors
of antiquity for whom an immaculate conception is asserted. In his Anacalypsis, Godfrey Higgins
writes: "The first striking circumstance in which the history of Pythagoras agrees with the history of
Jesus is, that they were natives of nearly the same country; the former being born at Sidon, the latter
at Bethlehem, both in Syria. The father of Pythagoras, as well as the father of Jesus, was prophetically
informed that his wife should bring forth a son, who should be a benefactor to mankind. They were
both born when their mothers were from home on journeys, Joseph and his wife having gone up to
Bethlehem to be taxed, and the father of Pythagoras having travelled from Samos, his residence, to
Sidon, about his mercantile concerns. Pythais [Pythasis], the mother of Pythagoras, had a connexion
with an ApoUoniacal spectre, or ghost, of the God Apollo, or God Sol, (of course this must have been a
holy ghost, and here we have the Holy Ghost) which afterward appeared to her husband, and told him
that he must have no connexion with his wife during her pregnancy—a story evidently the same as
that relating to Joseph and Mary. From these peculiar circumstances, Pythagoras was known by the
same title as Jesus, namely, the son of God; and was supposed by the multitude to be under the
influence of Divine inspiration."

This most famous philosopher was born sometime between 600 and 590 B.C., and the length of his
life has been estimated at nearly one hundred years.

The teachings of Pythagoras indicate that he was thoroughly conversant with the precepts of Oriental
and Occidental esotericism. He traveled among the Jews and was instructed by the Rabbins
concerning the secret traditions of Moses, the lawgiver of Israel. Later the School of the Essenes was
conducted chiefly for the purpose of interpreting the Pythagorean symbols. Pythagoras was initiated
into the Egyptian, Babylonian, and Chaldean Mysteries. Although it is believed by some that he was a
disciple of Zoroaster, it is doubtful whether his instructor of that name was the God-man now revered
by the Parsees. While accounts of his travels differ, historians agree that he visited many countries
and studied at the feet of many masters.

"After having acquired all which it was possible for him to learn of the Greek philosophers and,
presumably, become an initiate in the Eleusinian mysteries, he went to Egypt, and after many rebuffs
and refusals, finally succeeded in securing initiation in the Mysteries of Isis, at the hands of the
priests of Thebes. Then this intrepid 'joiner' wended his way into Phoenicia and Syria where the
Mysteries of Adonis were conferred upon him, and crossing to the valley of the Euphrates he tarried
long enough to become versed in, the secret lore of the Chaldeans, who still dwelt in the vicinity of
Babylon. Finally, he made his greatest and most historic venture through Media and Persia into

Hindustan where he remained several years as a pupil and initiate of the learned Brahmins of

Elephanta and Ellora." (See Ancient Freemasonry, by Frank C. Higgins, 32°.) The same author adds
that the name of Pythagoras is still preserved in the records of the Brahmins as Yavancharya, the
Ionian Teacher.

Pythagoras was said to have been the first man to call himself a philosopher; in fact, the world is
indebted to him for the word philosopher. Before that time the wise men had called themselves sages,
which was interpreted to mean those who know. Pythagoras was more modest. He coined the word
philosopher, which he defined as one who is attempting to find out.

After returning from his wanderings, Pythagoras established a school, or as it has been sometimes
called, a university, at Crotona, a Dorian colony in Southern Italy. Upon his arrival at Crotona he was
regarded askance, but after a short time those holding important positions in the surrounding
colonies sought his counsel in matters of great moment. He gathered around him a small group of
sincere disciples whom he instructed in the secret wisdom which had been revealed to him, and also
in the fundamentals of occult mathematics, music, and astronomy, which he considered to be the
triangular foundation of all the arts and sciences.

When he was about sixty years old, Pythagoras married one of his disciples, and seven children
resulted from the union. His wife was a remarkably able woman, who not only inspired him during
the years of his life but after his assassination continued to promulgate his doctrines.

As is so often the case with genius, Pythagoras by his outspokenness incurred both political and
personal enmity. Among those who came for initiation was one who, because Pythagoras refused to
admit him, determined to destroy both the man and his philosophy. By means of false propaganda,
this disgruntled one turned the minds of the common people against the philosopher. Without
warning, a band of murderers descended upon the little group of buildings where the great teacher
and his disciples dwelt, burned the structures and killed Pythagoras.

Accounts of the philosopher's death do not agree. Some say that he was murdered with his disciples;
others that, on escaping from Crotona with a small band of followers, he was trapped and burned
alive by his enemies in a little house where the band had decided to rest for the night. Another
account states that, finding themselves trapped in the burning structure, the disciples threw
themselves into the flames, making of their own bodies a bridge over which Pythagoras escaped, only
to die of a broken heart a short time afterwards as the result of grieving over the apparent
fruitlessness of his efforts to serve and illuminate mankind.

His surviving disciples attempted to perpetuate his doctrines, but they were persecuted on every hand
and very little remains today as a testimonial to the greatness of this philosopher. It is said that the
disciples of Pythagoras never addressed him or referred to him by his own name, but always as The
Master or That Man. This may have been because of the fact that the name Pythagoras was believed
to consist of a certain number of specially arranged letters with great sacred significance. The
Word magazine has printed an article by T. R. Prater, showing that Pjfthagoras initiated his
candidates by means of a certain formula concealed within

PYTHAGORAS, THE FIRST PHILOSOPHER.

From Historia Deorum Fatidicorum.

During his youth, Pythagoras was a disciple of Pherecydes and Hermodamas, and while in his teens became renowned for
the clarity of his philosophic concepts. In height he exceeded six feet; his body was as perfectly formed as that of Apollo.
Pythagoras was the personification of majesty and power, and in his presence a felt humble and afraid. As he grew older,
his physical power increased rather than waned, so that as he approached the century mark he was actually in the prime
of life. The influence of this great soul over those about him was such that a word of praise from P5^hagoras filled his
disciples with ecstasy, while one committed suicide because the Master became momentarily irritate over something he
had dome. Pythagoras was so impressed by this tragedy that he never again spoke unkindly to or about anyone.

p. 66

the letters of his own name. This may explain why the word Pj^hagoras was so highly revered.

After the death of Pythagoras his school gradually disintegrated, but those who had benefited by its
teachings revered the memory of the great philosopher, as during his life they had reverenced the
man himself. As time went on, Pythagoras came to be regarded as a god rather than a man, and his
scattered disciples were bound together by their common admiration for the transcendent genius of
their teacher. Edouard Schure, in his Pythagoras and the Delphic Mysteries, relates the following
incident as illustrative of the bond of fellowship uniting the members of the Pythagorean School:

"One of them who had fallen upon sickness and poverty was kindly taken in by an innkeeper. Before
dying he traced a few mysterious signs (the pentagram, no doubt) on the door of the inn and said to
the host, 'Do not be uneasy, one of my brothers will pay my debts.' A year afterwards, as a stranger
was passing by this inn he saw the signs and said to the host, 'I am a Pythagorean; one of my brothers
died here; tell me what I owe you on his account.'"

Frank C. Higgins, 32°, gives an excellent compendium of the Pj^hagorean tenets in the following
outline:

"P5rthagoras' teachings are of the most transcendental importance to Masons, inasmuch as they are
the necessary fruit of his contact with the leading philosophers of the whole civilized world of his own
day, and must represent that in which all were agreed, shorn of all weeds of controversy. Thus, the
determined stand made by Pythagoras, in defense of pure monotheism, is sufficient evidence that the
tradition to the effect that the unity of God was the supreme secret of all the ancient initiations is
substantially correct. The philosophical school of Pythagoras was, in a measure, also a series of
initiations, for he caused his pupils to pass through a series of degrees and never permitted them
personal contact with himself until they had reached the higher grades. According to his biographers,
his degrees were three in number. The first, that of 'Mathematicus,' assuring his pupils proficiency in
mathematics and geometry, which was then, as it would be now if Masonry were properly inculcated,
the basis upon which all other knowledge was erected. Secondly, the degree of 'Theoreticus,' which
dealt with superficial applications of the exact sciences, and, lastly, the degree of 'Electus,' which
entitled the candidate to pass forward into the light of the fullest illumination which he was capable of
absorbing. The pupils of the Pythagorean school were divided into 'exoterici,' or pupils in the outer
grades, and 'esoterici,' after they had passed the third degree of initiation and were entitled to the
secret wisdom. Silence, secrecy and unconditional obedience were cardinal principles of this great
order." (See Ancient Freemasonry.)

PYTHAGORIC FUNDAMENTALS

The study of geometry, music, and astronomy was considered essential to a rational understanding of
God, man, or Nature, and no one could accompany Pythagoras as a disciple who was not thoroughly
familiar with these sciences. Many came seeking admission to his school. Each applicant was tested
on these three subjects, and if found ignorant, was summarily dismissed.

Pythagoras was not an extremist. He taught moderation in all things rather than excess in anything,
for he believed that an excess of virtue was in itself a vice. One of his favorite statements was: "We
must avoid with our utmost endeavor, and amputate with fire and sword, and by all other means,
from the body, sickness; from the soul, ignorance; from the belly, luxury; from a city, sedition; from a
family, discord; and from all things, excess." Pythagoras also believed that there was no crime equal
to that of anarchy.

All men know what they want, but few know what they need. Pythagoras warned his disciples that
when they prayed they should not pray for themselves; that when they asked things of the gods they
should not ask things for themselves, because no man knows what is good for him and it is for this
reason undesirable to ask for things which, if obtained, would only prove to be injurious.

The God of Pythagoras was the Monad, or the One that is Everything. He described God as the
Supreme Mind distributed throughout all parts of the universe— the Cause of all things, the
Intelligence of all things, and the Power within all things. He further declared the motion of God to be
circular, the body of God to be composed of the substance of light, and the nature of God to be
composed of the substance of truth.

Pythagoras declared that the eating of meat clouded the reasoning faculties. While he did not
condemn its use or totally abstain therefrom himself, he declared that judges should refrain from
eating meat before a trial, in order that those who appeared before them might receive the most
honest and astute decisions. When Pjrthagoras decided (as he often did) to retire into the temple of
God for an extended period of time to meditate and pray, he took with his supply of specially
prepared food and drink. The food consisted of equal parts of the seeds of poppy and sesame, the skin
of the sea onion from which the juice had been thoroughly extracted, the flower of daffodil, the leaves
of mallows, and a paste of barley and peas. These he compounded together with the addition of wild
honey. For a beverage he took the seeds of cucumbers, dried raisins (with seeds removed), the flowers
of coriander, the seeds of mallows and purslane, scraped cheese, meal, and cream, mixed together

and sweetened with wild honey. Pythagoras claimed that this was the diet of Hercules while
wandering in the Libyan desert and was according to the formula given to that hero by the goddess
Ceres herself.

The favorite method of healing among the Pythagoreans was by the aid of poultices. These people also
knew the magic properties of vast numbers of plants. Pythagoras highly esteemed the medicinal
properties of the sea onion, and he is said to have written an entire volume on the subject. Such a
work, however, is not known at the present time. Pythagoras discovered that music had great
therapeutic power and he prepared special harmonies for various diseases. He apparently
experimented also with color, attaining considerable success. One of his unique curative processes
resulted from his discovery of the healing value of certain verses from the Odyssey and the Iliad of
Homer. These he caused to be read to persons suffering from certain ailments. He was opposed to
surgery in all its forms and also objected to cauterizing. He would not permit the disfigurement of the
human body, for such, in his estimation, was a sacrilege against the dwelling place of the gods.

Pythagoras taught that friendship was the truest and nearest perfect of all relationships. He declared
that in Nature there was a friendship of all for all; of gods for men; of doctrines one for another; of the
soul for the body; of the rational part for the irrational part; of philosophy for its theory; of men for
one another; of countrymen for one another; that friendship also existed between strangers, between
a man and his wife, his children, and his servants. All bonds without friendship were shackles, and
there was no virtue in their maintenance. Pythagoras believed that relationships were essentially
mental rather than physical, and that a stranger of sympathetic intellect was closer to him than a
blood relation whose viewpoint was at variance with his own. Pythagoras defined knowledge as the
fruitage of mental accumulation. He believed that it would be obtained in many ways, but principally
through observation. Wisdom was the understanding of the source or cause of all things, and this
could be secured only by raising the intellect to a point where it intuitively cognized the invisible
manifesting outwardly through the visible, and thus became capable of bringing itself en rapport with
the spirit of things rather than with their forms. The ultimate source that wisdom could cognize was
the Monad, the mysterious permanent atom of the Pythagoreans.

Pythagoras taught that both man and the universe were made in the image of God; that both being
made in the same image, the understanding of one predicated the knowledge of the other. He further
taught that there was a constant interplay between the Grand Man (the universe) and man (the little
universe).

Pythagoras believed that all the sidereal bodies were alive and that the forms of the planets and stars
were merely bodies encasing souls, minds, and spirits in the same manner that the visible human
form is but the encasing vehicle for an invisible spiritual organism which is, in reality, the conscious
individual. Pythagoras regarded the planets as magnificent deities, worthy of the adoration and
respect of man. All these deities, however, he considered subservient to the One First Cause within
whom they all existed temporarily, as mortality exists in the midst of immortality.

The famous Pythagorean Y signified the power of choice and was used in the Mysteries as emblematic
of the Forking of the Ways. The central stem separated into two parts, one branching to

6

THE SYMMETRICAL GEOMETRIC SOLIDS.

To the five symmetrical solids of the ancients is added the sphere (i), the most perfect of all created forms. The five
Pythagorean solids are: the tetrahedron (2) with four equilateral triangles as faces; the cube (3) with six squares as faces;
the octahedron (4) with eight equilateral triangles as faces; the icosahedron (5) with twenty equilateral triangles as faces;
and the dodecahedron (6) with twelve regular pentagons as faces.

p. 67

the right and the other to the left. The branch to the right was called Divine Wisdom and the one to

the left Earthly Wisdom. Youth, personified by the candidate, walking the Path of Life, symbolized by
the central stem of the Y, reaches the point where the Path divides. The neophyte must then choose
whether he will take the left-hand path and, following the dictates of his lower nature, enter upon a
span of folly and thoughtlessness which will inevitably result in his undoing, or whether he will take
the right-hand road and through integrity, industry, and sincerity ultimately regain union with the
immortals in the superior spheres.

It is probable that P)^hagoras obtained his concept of the Y from the Egyptians, who included in
certain of their initiatory rituals a scene in which the candidate was confronted by two female figures.
One of them, veiled with the white robes of the temple, urged the neophyte to enter into the halls of
learning; the other, bedecked with jewels, symbolizing earthly treasures, and bearing in her hands a
tray loaded with grapes (emblematic of false light), sought to lure him into the chambers of
dissipation. This symbol is still preserved among the Tarot cards, where it is called The Forking of the
Ways. The forked stick has been the symbol of life among many nations, and it was placed in the
desert to indicate the presence of water.

Concerning the theory of transmigration as disseminated by Pythagoras, there are differences of
opinion. According to one view, he taught that mortals who during their earthly existence had by their
actions become like certain animals, returned to earth again in the form of the beasts which they had
grovm to resemble. Thus, a timid person would return in the form of a rabbit or a deer; a cruel person
in the form of a wolf or other ferocious animal; and a cunning person in the guise of a fox. This
concept, however, does not fit into the general Pythagorean scheme, and it is far more likely that it
was given in an allegorical rather than a literal sense. It was intended to convey the idea that human
beings become bestial when they allow themselves to be dominated by their ovm lower desires and
destructive tendencies. It is probable that the term transmigration is to be understood as what is
more commonly called reincarnation, a doctrine which Pythagoras must have contacted directly or
indirectly in India and Egypt.

The fact that Pythagoras accepted the theory of successive reappearances of the spiritual nature in
human form is found in a footnote to Levi's History of Magic: "He was an important champion of
what used to be called the doctrine of metempsychosis, understood as the soul's transmigration into
successive bodies. He himself had been (a) Aethalides, a son of Mercury; (b) Euphorbus, son of
Panthus, who perished at the hands of Menelaus in the Trojan war; (c) Hermotimus, a prophet of
Clazomenae, a city of Ionia; (d) a humble fisherman; and finally (e) the philosopher of Samos."

Pythagoras also taught that each species of creatures had what he termed a seal, given to it by God,
and that the physical form of each was the impression of this seal upon the wax of physical substance.
Thus each body was stamped with the dignity of its divinely given pattern. Pythagoras believed that
ultimately man would reach a state where he would cast off his gross nature and function in a body of
spiritualized ether which would be in juxtaposition to his physical form at all times and which might
be the eighth sphere, or Antichthon. From this he would ascend into the realm of the immortals,
where by divine birthright he belonged.

Pythagoras taught that everything in nature was divisible into three parts and that no one could
become truly wise who did not view every problem as being diagrammatically triangular. He said,
"Establish the triangle and the problem is two-thirds solved"; further, "All things consist of three." In
conformity with this viewpoint, Pythagoras divided the universe into three parts, which he called the
Supreme World, the Superior World, and the Inferior World. The highest, or Supreme World, was a
subtle, interpenetrative spiritual essence pervading all things and therefore the true plane of the
Supreme Deity itself, the Deity being in every sense omnipresent, omniactive, omnipotent, and
omniscient. Both of the lower worlds existed within the nature of this supreme sphere.

The Superior Worid was the home of the immortals. It was also the dwelling place of the archetypes,

or the seals; their natures in no manner partook of the material of earthiness, but they, casting their
shadows upon the deep (the Inferior World), were cognizable only through their shadows. The third,
or Inferior World, was the home of those creatures who partook of material substance or were
engaged in labor with or upon material substance. Hence, this sphere was the home of the mortal
gods, the Demiurgi, the angels who labor with men; also the dsemons who partake of the nature of the
earth; and finally mankind and the lower kingdoms, those temporarily of the earth but capable of
rising above that sphere by reason and philosophy.

The digits i and 2 are not considered numbers by the Pythagoreans, because they typify the two
supermundane spheres. The Pythagorean numbers, therefore, begin with 3, the triangle, and 4, the
square. These added to the 1 and the 2, produce the 10, the great number of all things, the archetype
of the universe. The three worlds were called receptacles. The first was the receptacle of principles,
the second was the receptacle of intelligences, and the third, or lowest, was the receptacle of
quantities.

"The symmetrical solids were regarded by Pythagoras, and by the Greek thinkers after him, as of the
greatest importance. To be perfectly symmetrical or regular, a solid must have an equal number of
faces meeting at each of its angles, and these faces must be equal regular polygons, i. e., figures whose
sides and angles are all equal. Pythagoras, perhaps, may be credited with the great discovery that
there are only five such solids.* * *

'Now, the Greeks believed the world [material universe] to be composed of four elements—earth, air,
fire, water—and to the Greek mind the conclusion was inevitable that the shapes of the particles of the
elements were those of the regular solids. Earth-particles were cubical, the cube being the regular
solid possessed of greatest stability; fire-particles were tetrahedral, the tetrahedron being the simplest
and, hence, lightest solid. Water-particles were icosahedral for exactly the reverse reason, whilst air-
particles, as intermediate between the two latter, were octahedral. The dodecahedron was, to these
ancient mathematicians, the most mysterious of the solids; it was by far the most difficult to construct,
the accurate drav^ng of the regular pentagon necessitating a rather elaborate application of
Pythagoras' great theorem. Hence the conclusion, as Plato put it, that 'this (the regular dodecahedron)
the Deity employed in tracing the plan of the Universe.' (H. Stanley Redgrove, in Bygone Beliefs.)

Mr. Redgrove has not mentioned the fifth element of the ancient Mysteries, that which would make
the analogy between the symmetrical solids and the elements complete. This fifth element, or ether,
was called by the Hindus akasa. It was closely correlated with the hypothetical ether of modern
science, and was the interpenetrative substance permeating all of the other elements and acting as a
common solvent and common denominator of them. The twelve-faced solid also subtly referred to the
Twelve Immortals who surfaced the universe, and also to the twelve convolutions of the human brain-
-the vehicles of those Immortals in the nature of man.

While Pythagoras, in accordance with others of his day, practiced divination (possibly arithmomancy),
there is no accurate information concerning the methods which he used. He is believed to have had a
remarkable wheel by means of which he could predict future events, and to have learned hydromancy
from the Egyptians. He believed that brass had oracular powers, because even when everything was
perfectly still there was always a rumbling sound in brass bowls. He once addressed a prayer to the
spirit of a river and out of the water arose a voice, "Pythagoras, I greet thee." It is claimed for him that
he was able to cause demons to enter into water and disturb its surface, and by means of the
agitations certain things were predicted.

After having drunk from a certain spring one day, one of the Masters of Pythagoras announced that

the spirit of the water had just predicted that a great earthquake would occur the next day— a
prophecy which was fulfilled. It is highly probable that Pythagoras possessed hypnotic power, not

only over man but also over animals. He caused a bird to change the course of its flight, a bear to
cease its ravages upon a community, and a bull to change its diet, by the exercise of mental influence.
He was also gifted with second sight, being able to see things at a distance and accurately describe
incidents that had not yet come to pass.

THE SYMBOUC APHORISMS OF PYTHAGORAS

lamblichus gathered thirty-nine of the symbolic sayings of Pythagoras and interpreted them. These
have been translated from the Greek by Thomas Taylor. Aphorismic statement was one of the favorite
methods of instruction used in the Pythagorean university of Crotona. Ten of the most representative
of these aphorisms are reproduced below with a brief elucidation of their concealed meanings.

I. Declining from the public ways, walk in unfrequented paths. By this it is to be understood that
those who desire wisdom must seek it in solitude.

1

J- I

NUMBER RELATED TO FORM.

Pythagoras taught that the dot symbohzed the power of the number i, the hne the power of the number 2, the surface the
power of the number 3, and the soUd the power of the number 4.

p. 68

n. Govern your tongue before all other things, following the gods. This aphorism warns man that his
words, instead of representing him, misrepresent him, and that when in doubt as to what he should
say, he should always be silent.

III. The wind blowing, adore the sound. Pythagoras here reminds his disciples that the fiat of God is
heard in the voice of the elements, and that all things in Nature manifest through harmony, rhythm,
order, or procedure the attributes of the Deity.

IV. Assist a man in raising a burden; but do not assist him in laying it down. The student is
instructed to aid the diligent but never to assist those who seek to evade their responsibilities, for it is
a great sin to encourage indolence.

V. Speak not about Pythagoric concerns without light. The world is herein warned that it should not
attempt to interpret the mysteries of God and the secrets of the sciences without spiritual and
intellectual illumination.

VI. Having departed from your house, turn not back, for the furies will be your attendants.
Pythagoras here warns his followers that any who begin the search for truth and, after having learned
part of the mystery, become discouraged and attempt to return again to their former ways of vice and
ignorance, will suffer exceedingly; for it is better to know nothing about Divinity than to learn a little
and then stop without learning all.

VII. Nourish a cock, but sacrifice it not; for it is sacred to the sun and moon. Two great lessons are
concealed in this aphorism. The first is a warning against the sacrifice of living things to the gods,
because life is sacred and man should not destroy it even as an offering to the Deity. The second
warns man that the human body here referred to as a cock is sacred to the sun (God) and the moon
(Nature), and should be guarded and preserved as man's most precious medium of expression.
Pythagoras also warned his disciples against suicide.

VIII. Receive not a swallow into your house. This warns the seeker after truth not to allow drifting
thoughts to come into his mind nor shiftless persons to enter into his life. He must ever surround
himself with rationally inspired thinkers and with conscientious workers.

IX. Offer not your right hand easily to anyone. This warns the disciple to keep his own counsel and
not offer wisdom and knowledge (his right hand) to such as are incapable of appreciating them. The
hand here represents Truth, which raises those who have fallen because of ignorance; but as many of
the unregenerate do not desire wisdom they will cut off the hand that is extended in kindness to them.
Time alone can effect the redemption of the ignorant masses

X. When rising from the bedclothes, roll them together, and obliterate the impression of the body.
Pythagoras directed his disciples who had awakened from the sleep of ignorance into the waking state
of intelligence to eliminate from their recollection all memory of their former spiritual darkness; for a
wise man in passing leaves no form behind him which others less intelligent, seeing, shall use as a
mold for the casting of idols.

The most famous of the Pythagorean fragments are the Golden Verses, ascribed to Pythagoras himself,
but concerning whose authorship there is an element of doubt. The Golden Verses contain a brief
summary of the entire system of philosophy forming the basis of the educational doctrines of Crotona,
or, as it is more commonly known, the Italic School. These verses open by counseling the reader to
love God, venerate the great heroes, and respect the deemons and elemental inhabitants. They then
urge man to think carefully and industriously concerning his daily life, and to prefer the treasures of
the mind and soul to accumulations of earthly goods. The verses also promise man that if he will rise
above his lower material nature and cultivate self-control, he will ultimately be acceptable in the sight
of the gods, be reunited with them, and partake of their immortality. (It is rather significant to note
that Plato paid a great price for some of the manuscripts of Pjlihagoras which had been saved from
the destruction of Crotona. See Historia Deorum Fatidicorum, Geneva, 1675.)

PYTHAGOREAN ASTRONOMY

According to Pythagoras, the position of each body in the universe was determined by the essential
dignity of that body. The popular concept of his day was that the earth occupied the center of the solar
system; that the planets, including the sun and moon, moved about the earth; and that the earth itself
was flat and square. Contrary to this concept, and regardless of criticism, Pjlihagoras declared that
fire was the most important of all the elements; that the center was the most important part of every
body; and that, just as Vesta's fire was in the midst of every home, so in the midst of the universe was
a flaming sphere of celestial radiance. This central globe he called the Tower of Jupiter, the Globe of
Unity, the Grand Monad, and the Altar of Vesta. As the sacred number lo symbolized the sum of all
parts and the completeness of all things, it was only natural for Pythagoras to divide the universe into
ten spheres, symbolized by ten concentric circles. These circles began at the center with the globe of
Divine Fire; then came the seven planers, the earth, and another mysterious planet, caWed Antichthon,
which was never visible.

Opinions differ as to the nature of Antichthon. Clement of Alexandria believed that it represented the
mass of the heavens; others held the opinion that it was the moon. More probably it was the
mysterious eighth sphere of the ancients, the dark planet which moved in the same orbit as the earth
but which was always concealed from the earth by the body of the sun, being in exact opposition to
the earth at all times. Is this the mysterious Lilith concerning which astrologers have speculated so
long?

Isaac Myer has stated: "The Pythagoreans held that each star was a world having its own atmosphere,
with an immense extent surrounding it, of aether." (See The Qabbalah.) The disciples of Pythagoras
also highly revered the planet Venus, because it was the only planet bright enough to cast a shadow.
As the morning star, Venus is visible before sunrise, and as the evening star it shines forth
immediately after sunset. Because of these qualities, a number of names have been given to it by the
ancients. Being visible in the sky at sunset, it was called vesper, and as it arose before the sun, it was
called the false light, the star of the morning, or Lucifer, which means the light-bearer. Because of
this relation to the sun, the planet was also referred to as Venus, Astarte, Aphrodite, Isis, and The
Mother of the Gods. It is possible that: at some seasons of the year in certain latitudes the fact that
Venus was a crescent could be detected without the aid of a telescope. This would account for the
crescent which is often seen in connection with the goddesses of antiquity, the stories of which do not
agree with the phases of the moon. The accurate knowledge which Pythagoras possessed concerning
astronomy he undoubtedly secured in the Egyptian temples, for their priests understood the true
relationship of the heavenly bodies many thousands of years before that knowledge was revealed to
the uninitiated world. The fact that the knowledge he acquired in the temples enabled him to make
assertions requiring two thousand years to check proves why Plato and Aristotle so highly esteemed
the profundity of the ancient Mysteries. In the midst of comparative scientific ignorance, and without
the aid of any modern instruments, the priest-philosophers had discovered the true fundamentals of
universal dynamics.

An interesting application of the Pythagorean doctrine of geometric solids as expounded by Plato is
found in The Canon. "Nearly all the old philosophers," says its anonymous author, "devised an
harmonic theory with respect to the universe, and the practice continued till the old mode of
philosophizing died out. Kepler (1596), in order to demonstrate the Platonic doctrine, that the
universe was formed of the five regular solids, proposed the following rule. 'The earth is a circle, the
measurer of all. Round it describe a dodecahedron; the circle inclosing this will be Mars. Round Mars
describe a tetrahedron; the sphere inclosing this will be Jupiter. Describe a cube round Jupiter; the
sphere containing this will be Saturn. Now inscribe in the earth an icosahedron; the circle inscribed in
it will be Venus. Inscribe an octahedron in Venus; the circle inscribed in it will be Mercury'
(Mysterium Cosmographicum, 1596). This rule cannot be taken seriously as a real statement of the
proportions of the cosmos, fox it bears no real resemblance to the ratios published by Copernicus in

the beginning of the sixteenth century. Yet Kepler was very proud of his formula, and said he valued it
more than the Electorate of Saxony. It was also approved by those two eminent authorities, Tycho
and Galileo, who evidently understood it. Kepler himself never gives the least hint of how his precious
rule is to be interpreted." Platonic astronomy was not concerned with the material constitution or
arrangement of the heavenly bodies, but considered the stars and planers primarily as focal points of
Divine intelligence. Physical astronomy was regarded as the science of "shadows," philosophical
astronomy the science of "realities."

THE TETRACTYS.

Theon of Smyrna declares that the ten dots, or tetractys of Pj^hagoras, was a symbol of the greatest importance, for to the
discerning mind it revealed the mystery of universal nature. The Pythagoreans bound themselves by the following oath:
"By Him who gave to our soul the tetractys, which hath the fountain and root of ever-springing nature."

THE CUBE AND THE STAR.

By connecting the ten dots of the tetractys, nine triangles are formed. Six of these are involved in the forming of the cube.
The same triangles, when lines are properly drawn between them, also reveal the six-pointed star with a dot in the center.
Only seven dots are used in forming the cube and the star. Qabbalistically, the three unused corner dots represent the
threefold, invisible causal nature of the universe, while the seven dots involved in the cube and the star are the Elohim—
the Spirits of the seven creative periods. The Sabbath, or seventh day, is the central dot.

p. 69

Pythagorean Mathematics

CONCERNING the secret significance of numbers there has been much speculation. Though many
interesting discoveries have been made, it may be safely said that with the death of Pythagoras the
great key to this science was lost. For nearly 2500 years philosophers of all nations have attempted to
unravel the Pythagorean skein, but apparently none has been successful. Notwithstanding attempts
made to obliterate all records of the teachings of Pythagoras, fragments have survived which give
clues to some of the simpler parts of his philosophy. The major secrets were never committed to
writing, but were communicated orally to a few chosen disciples. These apparently dated not divulge
their secrets to the profane, the result being that when death sealed their lips the arcana died with
diem.

Certain of the secret schools in the world today are perpetuations of the ancient Mysteries, and
although it is quite possible that they may possess some of the original numerical formula, there is no
evidence of it in the voluminous writings which have issued from these groups during the last five
hundred years. These writings, while frequently discussing Pythagoras, show no indication of a more
complete knowledge of his intricate doctrines than the post- Pythagorean Greek speculators had, who
talked much, wrote little, knew less, and concealed their ignorance under a series of mysterious hints
and promises. Here and there among the literary products of early writers are found enigmatic
statements which they made no effort: to interpret. The following example is quoted from Plutarch:

"The Pythagoreans indeed go farther than this, and honour even numbers and geometrical diagrams
with the names and titles of the gods. Thus they call the equilateral triangle head-born Minerva and
Tritogenia, because it may be equally divided by three perpendiculars drawn from each of the angles.
So the unit they term Apollo, as to the number two they have affixed the name of strife and
audaciousness, and to that of three, justice. For, as doing an injury is an extreme on the one side, and
suffering one is an extreme on the on the one side, and suffering in the middle between them. In like
manner the number thirty-six, their Tetractys, or sacred Quaternion, being composed of the first four
odd numbers added to the first four even ones, as is commonly reported, is looked upon by them as
the most solemn oath they can take, and called Kosmos." (Isis and Osiris.)

Earlier in the same work, Plutarch also notes: "For as the power of the triangle is expressive of the
nature of Pluto, Bacchus, and Mars; and the properties of the square of Rhea, Venus, Ceres, Vesta,
and Juno; of the Dodecahedron of Jupiter; so, as we are informed by Eudoxus, is the figure of fifty-six
angles expressive of the nature of Typhon." Plutarch did not pretend to explain the inner significance
of the symbols, but believed that the relationship which Pythagoras established between the
geometrical solids and the gods was the result of images the great sage had seen in the Egyptian
temples.

Albert Pike, the great Masonic symbolist, admitted that there were many points concerning which he
could secure no reliable information. In his Symbolism, for the 32° and 33°, he wrote: "I do not
understand why the 7 should be called Minerva, or the cube, Neptune." Further on he added:
"Undoubtedly the names given by the Pythagoreans to the different numbers were themselves
enigmatical and symbolic-and there is little doubt that in the time of Plutarch the meanings these
names concealed were lost. Pythagoras had succeeded too well in concealing his symbols with a veil
that was from the first impenetrable, without his oral explanation * * *."

This uncertainty shared by all true students of the subject proves conclusively that it is unwise to
make definite statements founded on the indefinite and fragmentary information available
concerning the Pythagorean system of mathematical philosophy. The material which follows

represents an effort to collect a few salient points from the scattered records preserved by disciples of
Pjlihagoras and others who have since contacted his philosophy.

METHOD OF SECURING THE NUMERICAL POWER OF WORDS

The first step in obtaining the numerical value of a word is to resolve it back into its original tongue.
Only words of Greek or Hebrew derivation can be successfully analyzed by this method, and all words
must be spelled in their most ancient and complete forms. Old Testament words and names,
therefore, must be translated back into the early Hebrew characters and New Testament words into
the Greek. Two examples v^U help to clarify this principle.

The Demiurgus of the Jews is called in English Jehovah, but when seeking the numerical value of the
name Jehovah it is necessary to resolve the name into its Hebrew letters. It becomes mn% and is read
from right to left. The Hebrew letters are: n. He; % Vau; n. He; % Yod; and when reversed into the
English order from left to right read: Yod-He-Vau-He. By consulting the foregoing table of letter
values, it is found that the four characters of this sacred name have the following numerical
significance: Yod equals lo. He equals 5, Vau equals 6, and the second He equals 5. Therefore,
10+5+6+5=26, a synonym of Jehovah. If the English letters were used, the answer obviously would
not be correct.

The second example is the mysterious Gnostic pantheos Abraxas. For this name the Greek table is
used. Abraxas in Greek is A^paEjaq. A = 1, P = 2, p = 100, a = 1, ^ =60, a = 1, g = 200, the sum being
365, the number of days in the year. This number furnishes the key to the mystery of Abraxas, who is
symbolic of the 365 ^^lons, or Spirits of the Days, gathered together in one composite personality.
Abraxas is symbolic of five creatures, and as the circle of the year actually consists of 360 degrees,
each of the emanating deities is one-fifth of this power, or 72, one of the most sacred numbers in the
Old Testament of the Jews and in their Qabbalistic system. This same method is used in finding the
numerical value of the names of the gods and goddesses of the Greeks and Jews.

All higher numbers can be reduced to one of the original ten numerals, and the 10 itself to 1.
Therefore, all groups of numbers resulting from the translation of names of deities into their
numerical equivalents have a basis in one of the first ten numbers. By this system, in which the digits
are added together, 666 becomes 6+6+6 or 18, and this, in turn, becomes 1+8 or 9. According to
Revelation, 144,000 are to be saved. This number becomes 1+4+4+0+0+0, which equals 9, thus
proving that both the Beast of Babylon and the number of the saved refer to man himself, whose
symbol is the number 9. This system can be used successfully with both Greek and Hebrew letter
values.

The original Pjlihagorean system of numerical philosophy contains nothing to justify the practice now
in vogue of changing the given name or surname in the hope of improving the temperament or
financial condition by altering the name vibrations.

There is also a system of calculation in vogue for the English language, but its accuracy is a matter of
legitimate dispute. It is comparatively modern and has no relationship either to the Hebrew
Qabbalistic system or to the Greek procedure. The claim made by some that it is Pythagorean is not
supported by any tangible evidence, and there are many reasons why such a contention is untenable.
The fact that Pythagoras used 10 as the basis of calculation, while this system uses 9~an imperfect
number —is in itself almost conclusive. Furthermore, the arrangement of the Greek and Hebrew
letters does not agree closely enough with the English to permit the application of the number
sequences of one language to the number sequences of the others. Further experimentation with

1

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THE NUMERICAL VALUES OF THE HEBREW, GREEK, AND SAMARITAN ALPHABETS.

From Higgins' Celtic Druids.

Column

1 Names of the Hebrew letters.

2 Samaritan Letters.

3 Hebrew and Chaldean letters.

4 Numerical equivalents of the letters.

5 Capital and small Greek letters.

6 The letters marked with asterisks are those brought to Greece from Phoenicia by Cadmus.

7 Name of the Greek letters.

8 Nearest English equivalents to the Hebrew, Greek, and Samaritan Letters.

NOTE. When used at the end of a word, the Hebrew Tau has the numerical value 440, Caph 500, Mem 600, Nun 700, Pe
800, Tzadi 900. A dotted AZpfta and a dashed AZep/i have the value of 1,000.

p. 70

the system may prove profitable, but it is without basis in antiquity. The arrangement of the letters
and numbers is as follows:

A
J
S

1

T

B
K

2

3
C
L
U

4
D
M
V

5
E
N
W

6
F
O
X

Y

7
G
P

8
H

Q
Z

9
I
R

The letters under each of the numbers have the value of the figure at: the top of the column. Thus, in
the word man, M = 4,A = i,N= 5: a. total of 10. The values of the numbers are practically the same as
those given by the Pythagorean system.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PYTHAGOREAN THEORY OF NUMBERS

(The following outline of Pythagorean mathematics is a paraphrase of the opening chapters of
Thomas Taylor's Theoretic Arithmetic, the rarest and most important compilation of Pythagorean
mathematical fragments extant.)

The Pythagoreans declared arithmetic to be the mother of the mathematical sciences. This is proved
by the fact that geometry, music, and astronomy are dependent upon it but it is not dependent upon
them. Thus, geometry may be removed but arithmetic will remain; but if arithmetic be removed,
geometry is eliminated. In the same manner music depends upon arithmetic, but the elimination of
music affects arithmetic only by limiting one of its expressions. The Pythagoreans also demonstrated
arithmetic to be prior to astronomy, for the latter is dependent upon both geometry and music. The
size, form, and motion of the celestial bodies is determined by the use of geometry; their harmony
and rhythm by the use of music. If astronomy be removed, neither geometry nor music is injured; but
if geometry and music be eliminated, astronomy is destroyed. The priority of both geometry and
music to astronomy is therefore established. Arithmetic, however, is prior to all; it is primary and
fundamental.

Pythagoras instructed his disciples that the science of mathematics is divided into two major parts.
The first is concerned with the multitude, or the constituent parts of a thing, and the second with the
magnitude, or the relative size or density of a thing.

Magnitude is divided into two parts—magnitude which is stationary and magnitude which is movable,
the stationary pare having priority. Multitude is also divided into two parts, for it is related both to
itself and to other things, the first relationship having priority. Pythagoras assigned the science of
arithmetic to multitude related to itself, and the art of music to multitude related to other things.
Geometry likewise was assigned to stationary magnitude, and spherics (used partly in the sense of
astronomy) to movable magnitude. Both multitude and magnitude were circumscribed by the
circumference of mind. The atomic theory has proved size to be the result of number, for a mass is
made up of minute units though mistaken by the uninformed for a single simple substance.

Owing to the fragmentary condition of existing Pythagorean records, it is difficult to arrive at exact
definitions of terms. Before it is possible, however, to unfold the subject further some light must he
cast upon the meanings of the words number, monad, and one.

The monad signifies (a) the all-including ONE. The Pythagoreans called the monad the "noble
number. Sire of Gods and men." The monad also signifies (b) the sum of any combination of numbers
considered as a whole. Thus, the universe is considered as a monad, but the individual parts of the
universe (such as the planets and elements) are monads in relation to the parts of which they

themselves are composed, though they, in turn, are parts of the greater monad formed of their sum.

The monad may also be likened (c) to the seed of a tree which, when it has grown, has many branches
(the numbers). In other words, the numbers are to the monad what the branches of the tree are to the
seed of the tree. From the study of the mysterious Pythagorean monad, Leibnitz evolved his
magnificent theory of the world atoms—a theory in perfect accord with the ancient teachings of the
Mysteries, for Leibnitz himself was an initiate of a secret school. By some Pythagoreans the monad is
also considered (d) synonymous with the one.

Number is the term applied to all numerals and their combinations. (A strict interpretation of the
term number by certain of the Pythagoreans excludes i and 2.) Pythagoras defines number to be the
extension and energy of the spermatic reasons contained in the monad. The followers of Hippasus
declared number to be the first pattern used by the Demiurgus in the formation of the universe.

The one was defined by the Platonists as "the summit of the many." The one differs from the monad
in that the term monad is used to designate the sum of the parts considered as a unit, whereas the one
is the term applied to each of its integral parts.

There are two orders of number: odd and even. Because unity, or 1, always remains indivisible, the
odd number cannot be divided equally. Thus, 9 is 4+1+4, the unity in the center being indivisible.
Furthermore, if any odd number be divided into two parts, one part will always be odd and the other
even. Thus, 9 may be 5+4, 3+6, 7+2, or 8+1. The Pythagoreans considered the odd number —of which
the monad was the prototype—to be definite and masculine. They were not all agreed, however, as to
the nature of unity, or 1. Some declared it to be positive, because if added to an even (negative)
number, it produces an odd (positive) number. Others demonstrated that if unity be added to an odd
number, the latter becomes even, thereby making the masculine to be feminine. Unity, or 1, therefore,
was considered an androgynous number, partaking of both the masculine and the feminine attributes;
consequently both odd and even. For this reason the Pythagoreans called it evenly-odd. It was
customary for the Pythagoreans to offer sacrifices of an uneven number of objects to the superior
gods, while to the goddesses and subterranean spirits an even number was offered.

Any even number may be divided into two equal parts, which are always either both odd or both even.
Thus, 10 by equal division gives 5+5, both odd numbers. The same principle holds true if the 10 be
unequally divided. For example, in 6+4, both parts are even; in 7+3, both parts are odd; in 8+2, both
parts are again even; and in 9+1, both parts are again odd. Thus, in the even number, however it may
be divided, the parts will always be both odd or both even. The Pythagoreans considered the even
number-of which the duad was the prototype— to be indefinite and feminine.

The odd numbers are divided by a mathematical contrivance— called "the Sieve of Eratosthenes"— into
three general classes: incomposite, composite, and incomposite-composite.

The incomposite numbers are those which have no divisor other than themselves and unity, such as 3,
5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, and so forth. For example, 7 is divisible only by 7, which
goes into itself once, and unity, which goes into 7 seven times.

The composite numbers are those which are divisible not only by themselves and unity but also by
some other number, such as 9, 15, 21, 25, 27, 33, 39, 45, 51, 57, and so forth. For example, 21 is
divisible not only by itself and by unity, but also by 3 and by 7.

The incomposite-composite numbers are those which have no common divisor, although each of itself
is capable of division, such as 9 and 25. For example, 9 is divisible by 3 and 25 by 5, but neither is
divisible by the divisor of the other; thus they have no common divisor. Because they have individual
divisors, they are called composite; and because they have no common divisor, they are called in,
composite. Accordingly, the term incomposite-composite was created to describe their properties.

Even numbers are divided into three classes: evenly-even, evenly-odd, and oddly-odd.

The evenly-even numbers are all in duple ratio from unity; thus: i, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512,
and 1,024. The proof of the perfect evenly-even number is that it can be halved and the halves again
halved back to unity, as 1/2 of 64 = 32; 1/2 of 32 = 16; 1/2 of 16 = 8; 1/2 of 8 = 4; 1/2 of 4 = 2; 1/2 of 2
= 1; beyond unity it is impossible to go.

The evenly-even numbers possess certain unique properties. The sum of any number of terms but the
last term is always equal to the last term minus one. For example: the sum of the first and second
terms (1+2) equals the third term (4) minus one; or, the sum of the first, second, third, and fourth
terms (1+2+4+8) equals the fifth term (16) minus one.

In a series of evenly-even numbers, the first multiplied by the last equals the last, the second
multiplied by the second from the last equals the last, and so on until in an odd series one number
remains, which multiplied by itself equals the last number of the series; or, in an even series two
numbers remain, which multiplied by each other give the last number of the series. For example: 1, 2,
4, 8, 16 is an odd series. The first number (1) multiplied by the last number (16) equals the last
number (16). The second number (2) multiplied by the second from the last number (8) equals the
last number (16). Being an odd series, the 4 is left in the center, and this multiplied by itself also
equals the last number (16).

The evenly-odd numbers are those which, when halved, are incapable of further division by halving.
They are formed by taking the odd numbers in sequential order and multiplying them by 2. By this
process the odd numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 produce the evenly-odd numbers, 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22. Thus,
every fourth number is evenly-odd. Each of the even-odd numbers may be divided once, as 2, which
becomes two I's and cannot be divided further; or 6, which becomes two 3's and cannot be divided
further.

Another peculiarity of the evenly-odd numbers is that if the divisor be odd the quotient is always even,
and if the divisor be even the quotient is always odd. For example: if 18 be divided by 2 (an even
divisor) the quotient is 9 (an odd number); if 18 be divided by 3 (an odd divisor) the quotient is 6 (an
even number).

The evenly-odd numbers are also remarkable in that each term is one-half of the sum of the terms on
either side of it. For example:

p. 71

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THE SIEVE OF ERATOSTHENES.

Redrawn from Taylor's Theoretic Arithmetic.

This sieve is a mathematical device originated by Eratosthenes about 230 B.C. far the purpose of segregating the composite and incomposite odd numbers. Its use is
extremely simple after the theory has once been mastered. All the odd numbers are first arranged in their natural order as shown in the second panel from the
bottom, designated Odd Numbers. It will then be seen that every third number (beginning with 3) is divisible by 3, every fifth number (beginning with 5;) is divisible
by 5, every seventh number (beginning with 7) is divisible by 7, every ninth number (beginning with 9) is divisible by 9, every eleventh number (beginning with 11) is
divisible by 11, and so on to infinity. This system finally sifts out what the Pythagoreans called the "incomposite" numbers, or those having no divisor other than
themselves and unity. These will be found in the lowest panel, designated Primary and Incomposite Numbers. In his History of Mathematics, David Eugene Smith
states that Eratosthenes was one of the greatest scholars of Alexandria and was called by his admirers "the second Plato." Eratosthenes was educated at Athens, and
is renowned not only for his sieve but for having computed, by a very ingenious method, the circumference and diameter of the earth. His estimate of the earth's
diameter was only 50 miles less than the polar diameter accepted by modern scientists. This and other mathematical achievements of Eratosthenes, are indisputable
evidence that in the third century before Christ the Greeks not only knew the earth to be spherical in farm but could also approximate, with amazing accuracy, its
actual size and distance from both the sun and the moon. Aristarchus of Samos, another great Greek astronomer and mathematician, who lived about 250 B.C.,
established by philosophical deduction and a few simple scientific instruments that the earth revolved around the sun. While Copernicus actually believed himself to
be the discoverer of this fact, he but restated the findings advanced by Aristarchus seventeen hundred years earlier.

lo is one-half of the sum of 6 and 14; 18 is one-half the sum of 14 and 22; and 6 is one-half the sum of
2 and 10.

The oddly-odd, or unevenly-even, numbers are a compromise between the evenly-even and the
evenly-odd numbers. Unlike the evenly-even, they cannot be halved back to unity; and unlike the
evenly-odd, they are capable of more than one division by halving. The oddly-odd numbers are
formed by multiplying the evenly-even numbers above 2 by the odd numbers above one. The odd
numbers above one are 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and so forth. The evenly-even numbers above 2 are 4, 8, 16, 32,
64, and soon. The first odd number of the series (3) multiplied by 4 (the first evenly-even number of
the series) gives 12, the first oddly-odd number. By multiplying 5, 7, 9, 11, and so forth, by 4, oddly-
odd numbers are found. The other oddly-odd numbers are produced by multiplying 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and
so forth, in turn, by the other evenly-even numbers (8, 16, 32, 64, and so forth). An example of the
halving of the oddly-odd number is as follows: 1/2 of 12 = 6; 1/2 of 6 = 3, which cannot be halved
further because the Pj^hagoreans did not divide unity.

Even numbers are also divided into three other classes: superperfect, deficient, and perfect.

Superperfect or superabundant numbers are such as have the sum of their fractional parts greater
than themselves. For example: 1/2 of 24 = 12; 1/4 = 6; 1/3 = 8; 1/6 = 4; 1/12 = 2; and 1/24 = 1. The
sum of these parts (12+6+8+4+2+1) is 33, which is in excess of 24, the original number.

Deficient numbers are such as have the sum of their fractional parts less than themselves. For
example: 1/2 of 14 = 7; 1/7 = 2; and 1/14 = 1. The sum of these parts (7+2+1) is 10, which is less than
14, the original number.

Perfect numbers are such as have the sum of their fractional parts equal to themselves. For example:
1/2 of 28 = 14; 1/4 = 7; 1/7 = 4; 1/14 = 2; and 1/28 = 1. The sum of these parts (14+7+4+2+1) is equal
to 28.

The perfect numbers are extremely rare. There is only one between 1 and 10, namely, 6; one between
10 and 100, namely, 28; one between 100 and 1,000, namely, 496; and one between 1,000 and
10,000, namely, 8,128. The perfect numbers are found by the following rule: The first number of the
evenly-even series of numbers (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and so forth) is added to the second number of the
series, and if an incomposite number results it is multiplied by the last number of the series of evenly-
even numbers whose sum produced it. The product is the first perfect number. For example: the first
and second evenly-even numbers are 1 and 2. Their sum is 3, an incomposite number. If 3 be
multiplied by 2, the last number of the series of evenly-even numbers used to produce it, the product
is 6, the first perfect number. If the addition of the evenly-even numbers does not result in an
incomposite number, the next evenly-even number of the series must be added until an incomposite
number results. The second perfect number is found in the following manner: The sum of the evenly-
even numbers 1, 2, and 4 is 7, an incomposite number. If 7 be multiplied by 4 (the last of the series of
evenly-even numbers used to produce it) the product is 28, the second perfect number. This method
of calculation may be continued to infinity.

Perfect numbers when multiplied by 2 produce superabundant numbers, and when divided by 2
produce deficient numbers.

The Pythagoreans evolved their philosophy from the science of numbers. The following quotation
from Theoretic Arithmetic is an excellent example of this practice:

"Perfect numbers, therefore, are beautiful images of the virtues which are certain media between
excess and defect, and are not summits, as by some of the ancients they were supposed to be. And evil
indeed is opposed to evil, but both are opposed to one good. Good, however, is never opposed to good.

but to two evils at one and the same time. Thus timidity is opposed to audacity, to both [of] which the

want of true courage is common; but both timidity and audacity are opposed to fortitude. Craft also is
opposed to fatuity, to both [of] which the want of intellect is common; and both these are opposed to
prudence. Thus, too, profusion is opposed to avarice, to both [of] which illiberality is common; and
both these are opposed to liberality. And in a similar manner in the other virtues; by all [of] which it
is evident that perfect numbers have a great similitude to the virtues. But they also resemble the
virtues on another account; for they are rarely found, as being few, and they are generated in a very
constant order. On the contrary, an infinite multitude of superabundant and diminished numbers
maybe found, nor are they disposed in any orderly series, nor generated from any certain end; and
hence they have a great similitude to the vices, which are numerous, inordinate, and indefinite."

THE TABLE OF THE TEN NUMBERS

(The following outline of the Pjfthagorean numbers is a paraphrase of the writings of Nicomachus,
Theon of Smyrna, Proclus, Porphyry, Plutarch, Clement of Alexandria, Aristotle, and other early
authorities.)

Monad— i--is so called because it remains always in the same condition—that is, separate from multitude. Its attributes
are as follows: It is called mind, because the mind is stable and has preeminence; hermaphrodism, because it is both male
and female; odd and even, for being added to the even it makes odd, and to the odd, even; God, because it is the beginning
and end of all, but itself has neither beginning nor end; good, for such is the nature of God; the receptacle of matter,
because it produces the duad, which is essentially material.

By the Pythagoreans monad was called chaos, obscurity, chasm, Tartarus, Styx, abyss, Lethe, Atlas, Axis, Morpho (a name
for Venus), and Tower or Throne of Jupiter, because of the great power which abides in the center of the universe and
controls the circular motion of the planers about itself. Monad is also called germinal reason, because it is the origin of all
the thoughts in the universe. Other names given to it were: Apollo, because of its relation to the sun; Prometheus, because
he brought man light; Pyralios, one who exists in fire; geniture, because without it no number can exist; substance,
because substance is primary; cause of truth; and constitution of symphony: all these because it is the primordial one.

Between greater and lesser the monad is equal; between intention and remission it is middle; in multitude it is mean; and
in time it is now, because

p. 72

eternity knows neither past nor future. It is called Jupiter, because he is Father and head of the gods; Vesta, the fire of the
home, because it is located in the midst of the universe and remains there inclining to no side as a dot in a circle; form,
because it circumscribes, comprehends, and terminates; love, concord, and piety, because it is indivisible. Other symbolic
names for the monad are ship, chariot, Proteus (a god capable of changing his form), Mnemosyne, and Polyonymous
(having many names).

The following symbolic names were given to the duad— 2— because it has been divided, and is two rather than one; and
when there are two, each is opposed to the other: genius, evil, darkness, inequality, instability, movability, boldness,
fortitude, contention, matter, dissimilarity, partition between multitude and monad, defect, shapelessness, indefiniteness,
indeterminate ness, harmony, tolerance, root, feet of fountain-abounding idea, top, Phanes, opinion, fallacy, alterity,
diffidence, impulse, death, motion, generation, mutation, division, longitude, augmentation, composition, communion,
misfortune, sustentation, imposition, marriage, soul, and science.

In his book, Numbers, W. Wynn Westcott says of the duad: "it was called 'Audacity,' from its being the earliest number to
separate itself from the Divine One; from the 'Adytum of God-nourished Silence,' as the Chaldean oracles say."

As the monad is the father, so the duad is the mother; therefore, the duad has certain points in common with the
goddesses Isis, Rhea (Jove's mother), Phrygia, Lydia, Dindymene (Cybele), and Ceres; Erato (one of the Muses); Diana,
because the moon is forked; Dictynna, Venus, Dione, Cytherea; Juno, because she is both wife and sister of Jupiter; and
Maia, the mother of Mercury.

while the monad is the symbol of wisdom, the duad is the symbol of ignorance, for in it exists the sense of separateness—
which sense is the beginning of ignorance. The duad, however, is also the mother of wisdom, for ignorance—out of the
nature of itself—invariably gives birth to wisdom.

The Pythagoreans revered the monad but despised the duad, because it was the symbol of polarity. By the power of the
duad the deep was created in contradistinction to the heavens. The deep mirrored the heavens and became the symbol of
illusion, for the below was merely a reflection of the above. The below was called maya, the illusion, the sea, the Great
Void, and to symbolize it the Magi of Persia carried mirrors. From the duad arose disputes and contentions, until by
bringing the monad between the duad, equilibrium was reestablished by the Savior-God, who took upon Himself the form
of a number and was crucified between two thieves for the sins of men.

The triad— 3— is the first number actually odd (monad not always being considered a number). It is the first equilibrium of
unities; therefore, Pythagoras said that Apollo gave oracles from a tripod, and advised offer of libation three times. The
keywords to the qualities of the triad are friendship, peace, justice, prudence, piety, temperance, and virtue. The following
deities partake of the principles of the triad: Saturn (ruler of time), Latona, Cornucopise, Ophion (the great serpent),
Thetis, Hecate, Polyhymnia (a Muse), Pluto, Triton, President of the Sea, Tritogenia, Achelous, and the Faces, Furies, and
Graces. This number is called wisdom, because men organize the present, foresee the future, and benefit by the
experiences of the fast. It is cause of wisdom and understanding. The triad is the number of knowledge— music, geometry,
and astronomy, and the science of the celestials and terrestrials. Pythagoras taught that the cube of this number had the
power of the lunar circle.

The sacredness of the triad and its symbol— the triangle— is derived fi-om the fact that it is made up of the monad and the
duad. The monad is the symbol of the Divine Father and the duad of the Great Mother. The triad being made of these two
is therefore androgynous and is symbolic of the fact that God gave birth to His worlds out of Himself, who in His creative
aspect is always symbolized by the triangle. The monad passing into the duad was thus capable of becoming the parent of
progeny, for the duad was the womb of Mem, within which the world was incubated and within which it still exists in
embryo.

The tetrad— 4— was esteemed by the Pythagoreans as the primogenial number, the root of all things, the fountain of Nature
and the most perfect number. All tetrads are intellectual; they have an emergent order and encircle the world as the
Empyreum passes through it. Why the Pythagoreans expressed God as a tetrad is explained in a sacred discourse ascribed
to Pythagoras, wherein God is called the Number of Numbers. This is because the decad, or 10, is composed of 1, 2, 3, and
4. The number 4 is symbolic of God because it is symbolic of the first four numbers. Moreover, the tetrad is the center of
the week, being halfway between 1 and 7. The tetrad is also the first geometric solid.

Pythagoras maintained that the soul of man consists of a tetrad, the four powers of the soul being mind, science, opinion,
and sense. The tetrad connects all beings, elements, numbers, and seasons; nor can anything be named which does not
depend upon the tetractys. It is the Cause and Maker of all things, the intelligible God, Author of celestial and sensible
good, Plutarch interprets this tetractys, which he said was also called the world, to be 36, consisting of the first four odd
numbers added to the first four even numbers, thus:

1 + 3+5+7 =16
2+4+6+8 =20

36

Keywords given to the tetrad are impetuosity, strength, virility, two-mothered, and the key keeper of Nature, because the
universal constitution cannot be without it. It is also called harmony and the first profundity. The following deities
partook of the nature of the tetrad: Hercules, Mercury, Vulcan, Bacchus, and Urania (one of the Muses).

The triad represents the primary colors and the major planets, while the tetrad represents the secondary colors and the
minor planets. From the first triangle come forth the seven spirits, symbolized by a triangle and a square. These together
form the Masonic apron.

The pentad— 5— is the union of an odd and an even number (3 and 2). Among the Greeks, the pentagram was a sacred
symbol of light, health, and vitality. It also symbolized the fifth element— ether— because it is free from the disturbances of
the four lower elements. It is called equilibrium, because it divides the perfect number 10 into two equal parts.

The pentad is symbolic of Nature, for, when multiphed by itself it returns into itself, just as grains of wheat, starting in the
form of seed, pass through Nature's processes and reproduce the seed of the wheat as the ultimate form of their own
growth. Other numbers multiplied by themselves produce other numbers, but only 5 and 6 multiplied by themselves
represent and retain their original number as the last figure in their products.

The pentad represents all the superior and inferior beings. It is sometimes referred to as the hierophant, or the priest of
the Mysteries, because of its connection with the spiritual ethers, by means of which mystic development is attained.
Keywords of the pentad are reconciliation, alternation, marriage, immortality, cordiality. Providence, and sound. Among
the deities who partook of the nature of the pentad were Pallas, Nemesis, Bubastia (Bast), Venus, Androgynia, Cytherea,
and the messengers of Jupiter.

The tetrad (the elements) plus the monad equals the pentad. The P5^hagoreans taught that the elements of earth, fire, air,
and water were permeated by a substance called ether—the basis of vitality and life. Therefore, they chose the five-pointed
star, or pentagram, as the symbol of vitality, health, and interpenetration.

It was customary for the philosophers to conceal the element of earth under the symbol of a dragon, and many of the
heroes of antiquity were told to go forth and slay the dragon. Hence, they drove their sword (the monad) into the body of
the dragon (the tetrad). This resulted in the formation of the pentad, a symbol of the victory of the spiritual nature over
the material nature. The four elements are symbolized in the early Biblical writings as the four rivers that poured out of
Garden of Eden. The elements themselves are under the control of the composite Cherubim of Ezekiel.

The Pythagoreans held the hexad~6~to represent, as Clement of Alexandria conceived, the creation of the world
according to both the prophets and the ancient Mysteries. It was called by the Pythagoreans the perfection of all the parts.
This number was particularly sacred to Orpheus, and also to the Fate, Lachesis, and the Muse, Thalia. It was called the
form of forms, the articulation of the universe, and the maker of the soul.

Among the Greeks, harmony and the soul were considered to be similar in nature, because all souls are harmonic. The
hexad is also the symbol of marriage, because it is formed by the union of two triangles, one masculine and the other
feminine. Among the keywords given to the hexad are: time, for it is the measure of duration; panacea, because health is
equilibrium, and the hexad is a balance number; the world, because the world, like the hexad, is often seen to consist of
contraries by harmony; omnisufficient, because its parts are sufficient for totality (3+2 + 1 = 6); unwearied, because it
contains the elements of immortality.

By the Pj^hagoreans the heptad~7~was called "worthy of veneration." It was held to be the number of religion, because
man is controlled by seven celestial spirits to whom it is proper for him to make offerings. It was called the number of life,
because it was believed that human creatures born in the seventh month of embryonic life usually lived, but those born in
the eighth month often died. One author called it the Motherless Virgin, Minerva, because it was nor born of a mother but
out of the crown, or the head of the Father, the monad. Keywords of the heptad are fortune, occasion, custody, control,
government, judgment, dreams, voices, sounds, and that which leads all things to their end. Deities whose attributes were
expressed by the heptad were i^^gis, Osiris, Mars, and Cleo (one of the Muses).

Among many ancient nations the heptad is a sacred number. The Elohim of the Jews were supposedly seven in number.
They were the Spirits of the Dawn, more commonly known as the Archangels controlling the planets. The seven
Archangels, with the three spirits controlling the sun in its threefold aspect, constitute the 10, the sacred Pythagorean
decad. The mysterious Pythagorean tetractys, or four rows of dots, increasing from 1 to 4, was symbolic of the stages of
creation. The great Pythagorean truth that all things in Nature are regenerated through the decad, or 10, is subtly
preserved in Freemasonry through these grips being effected by the uniting of 10 fingers, five on the hand of each person.

The 3 (spirit, mind, and soul) descend into the 4 (the world), the sum being the 7, or the mystic nature of man, consisting
of a threefold spiritual body and a fourfold material form. These are symbolized by the cube, which has six surfaces and a
mysterious seventh point within. The six surfaces are the directions: north, east, south, west, up, and down; or, front, back,
right, left, above, and below; or again, earth, fire, air, water, spirit, and matter. In the midst of these stands the 1, which is
the upright figure of man, from whose center in the cube radiate six pyramids. From this comes the great occult axiom:
"The center is the father of the directions, the dimensions, and the distances."

The heptad is the number of the law, because it is the number of the Makers of Cosmic law, the Seven Spirits before the
Throne.

The ogdoad~8~was sacred because it was the number of the first cube, which form had eight corners, and was the only
evenly-even number under 10 (1-2-4-8-4-2-1). Thus, the 8 is divided into two 4's, each 4 is divided into two 2's, and each 2
is divided into two I's, thereby reestablishing the monad. Among the kej^vords of the ogdoad are love, counsel, prudence.

law, and convenience. Among the divinities partaking of its nature were Panarmonia, Rhea, Cibele, Cadmaea, Dindymene,
Orcia, Neptune, Themis, and Euterpe (a Muse).

The ogdoad was a mysterious number associated with the Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece and the Cabiri. It was called the
little holy number. It derived its form partly from the twisted snakes on the Caduceus of Hermes and partly from the
serpentine motion of the celestial bodies; possibly also from the moon's nodes.

The ennead~9~was the first square of an odd number (3x3). It was associated with failure and shortcoming because it fell
short of the perfect number 10 by one. It was called the called the number of man, because of the nine months of his
embryonic life. Among its keywords are ocean and horizon, because to the ancients these were boundless. The ennead is
the limitless number because there is nothing beyond it but the infinite 10. It was called boundary and limitation, because
it gathered all numbers within itself. It was called the sphere of the air, because it surrounded the numbers as air
surrounds the earth, Among the gods and goddesses who partook in greater or less degree of its nature were Prometheus,
Vulcan, Juno, the sister and wife of Jupiter, Paean, and Aglaia, Tritogenia, Curetes, Proserpine, Hyperion, and Terpsichore
(a Muse).

The 9 was looked upon as evil, because it was an inverted 6. According to the Eleusinian Mysteries, it was the number of
the spheres through which the consciousness passed on its way to birth. Because of its close resemblance to the
spermatozoon, the 9 has been associated with germinal life.

The decad~io~according to the Pythagoreans, is the greatest of numbers, not only because it is the tetractys (the 10 dots)
but because it comprehends all arithmetic and harmonic proportions. Pythagoras said that 10 is the nature of number,
because all nations reckon to it and when they arrive at it they return to the monad. The decad was called both heaven and
the world, because the former includes the latter. Being a perfect number, the decad was applied by the Pythagoreans to
those things relating to age, power, faith, necessity, and the power of memory. It was also called unwearied, because, like
God, it was tireless. The P5^hagoreans divided the heavenly bodies into ten orders. They also stated that the decad
perfected all numbers and comprehended within itself the nature of odd and even, moved and unmoved, good and ill.
They associated its power with the following deities: Atlas (for it carried the numbers on its shoulders), Urania,
Mnemosyne, the Sun, Phanes, and the One God.

The decimal system can probably be traced back to the time when it was customary to reckon on the fingers, these being
among the most primitive of calculating devices and still in use among many aboriginal peoples.

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The Human Body in Symbolism

THE oldest, the most profound, the most universal of all symbols is the human body. The Greeks,
Persians, Egyptians, and Hindus considered a philosophical analysis of man's triune nature to be an
indispensable part of ethical and religious training. The Mysteries of every nation taught that the laws,
elements, and powers of the universe were epitomized in the human constitution; that everything
which existed outside of man had its analogue within man. The universe, being immeasurable in its
immensity and inconceivable in its profundity, was beyond mortal estimation. Even the gods
themselves could comprehend but a part of the inaccessible glory which was their source. When
temporarily permeated with divine enthusiasm, man may transcend for a brief moment the
limitations of his own personality and behold in part that celestial effulgence in which all creation is
bathed. But even in his periods of greatest illumination man is incapable of imprinting upon the
substance of his rational soul a perfect image of the multiform expression of celestial activity.

Recognizing the futility of attempting to cope intellectually with that which transcends the
comprehension of the rational faculties, the early philosophers turned their attention from the
inconceivable Divinity to man himself, with in the narrow confines of whose nature they found
manifested all the mysteries of the external spheres. As the natural outgrowth of this practice there
was fabricated a secret theological system in which God was considered as the Grand Man and,
conversely, man as the little god. Continuing this analogy, the universe was regarded as a man and,
conversely, man as a miniature universe. The greater universe was termed the Macrocosm— the Great
World or Body—and the Divine Life or spiritual entity controlling its functions was called the
Macroprosophus. Man's body, or the individual human universe, was termed the Microcosm, and the
Divine Life or spiritual entity controlling its functions was called the Microprosophus. The pagan
Mysteries were primarily concerned with instructing neophj^es in the true relationship existing
between the Macrocosm and the Microcosm— in other words, between God and man. Accordingly,
the key to these analogies between the organs and functions of the Microcosmic man and those of the
Macrocosmic Man constituted the most prized possession of the early initiates.

In Isis Unveiled, H. P. Blavatsky summarizes the pagan concept of man as follows: "Man is a little
world—a microcosm inside the great universe. Like a fetus, he is suspended, by all his three spirits, in
the matrix of the macrocosmos; and while his terrestrial body is in constant sympathy with its parent
earth, his astral soul lives in unison with the sidereal anima mundi. He is in it, as it is in him, for the
world-pervading element fills all space, and is space itself, only shoreless and infinite. As to his third
spirit, the divine, what is it but an infinitesimal ray, one of the countless radiations proceeding
directly from the Highest Cause— the Spiritual Light of the World? This is the trinity of organic and
inorganic nature— the spiritual and the physical, which are three in one, and of which Proclus says
that 'The first monad is the Eternal God; the second, eternity; the third, the paradigm, or pattern of
the universe;' the three constituting the Intelligible Triad."

Long before the introduction of idolatry into religion, the early priests caused the statue of a man to
be placed in the sanctuary of the temple. This human figure symbolized the Divine Power in all its
intricate manifestations. Thus the priests of antiquity accepted man as their textbook, and through
the study of him learned to understand the greater and more abstruse mysteries of the celestial
scheme of which they were a part. It is not improbable that this mysterious figure standing over the
primitive altars was made in the nature of a manikin and, like certain emblematic hands in the
Mystery schools, was covered with either carved or painted hieroglyphs. The statue may have opened,
thus showing the relative positions of the organs, bones, muscles, nerves, and other parts. After ages
of research, the manikin became a mass of intricate hieroglyphs and symbolic figures. Every part had
its secret meaning. The measurements formed a basic standard by means of which it was possible to

measure all parts of cosmos. It was a glorious composite emblem of all the knowledge possessed by
the sages and hierophants.

Then came the age of idolatry. The Mysteries decayed from within. The secrets were lost and none
knew the identity of the mysterious man who stood over the altar. It was remembered only that the
figure was a sacred and glorious symbol of the Universal Power, and it: finally came to be looked upon
as a god—the One in whose image man was made. Having lost the knowledge of the purpose for which
the manikin was originally constructed, the priests worshiped this effigy until at last their lack of
spiritual understanding brought the temple down in ruins about their heads and the statue crumbled
with the civilization that had forgotten its meaning.

Proceeding from this assumption of the first theologians that man is actually fashioned in the image
of God, the initiated minds of past ages erected the stupendous structure of theology upon the
foundation of the human body. The religious world of today is almost totally ignorant of the fact that
the science of biology is the fountainhead of its doctrines and tenets. Many of the codes and laws
believed by modern divines to have been direct revelations from Divinity are in reality the fruitage of
ages of patient delving into the intricacies of the human constitution and the infinite wonders
revealed by such a study.

In nearly all the sacred books of the world can be traced an anatomical analogy. This is most evident
in their creation myths. Anyone familiar with embryology and obstetrics will have no difficulty in
recognizing the basis of the allegory concerning Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, the nine
degrees of the Eleusinian Mysteries, and the Brahmanic legend of Vishnu's incarnations. The story of
the Universal Egg, the Scandinavian myth of Ginnungagap (the dark cleft in space in which the seed
of the world is sown), and the use of the fish as the emblem of the paternal generative power—all
show the true origin of theological speculation. The philosophers of antiquity realized that man
himself was the key to the riddle of life, for he was the living image of the Divine Plan, and in future
ages humanity also will come to realize more fully the solemn import of those ancient words: "The
proper study of mankind is man."

Both God and man have a twofold constitution, of which the superior part is invisible and the inferior
visible. In both there is also an intermediary sphere, marking the point where these visible and
invisible natures meet. As the spiritual nature of God controls His objective universal form-which is
actually a crystallized idea— so the spiritual nature of man is the invisible cause and controlling power
of his visible material personality. Thus it is evident that the spirit of man bears the same relationship
to his material body that God bears to the objective universe. The Mysteries taught that spirit, or life,
was anterior to form and that what is anterior includes all that is posterior to itself. Spirit being
anterior to form, form is therefore included within the realm of spirit. It is also a popular statement or
belief that man's spirit is within his body. According to the conclusions of philosophy and theology,
however, this belief is erroneous, for spirit first circumscribes an area and then manifests within it.
Philosophically speaking, form, being a part of spirit, is within spirit; but: spirit is more than the sum
of form, As the material nature of man is therefore within the sum of spirit, so the Universal Nature,
including the entire sidereal system, is within the all-pervading essence of God— the Universal Spirit.

According to another concept of the ancient wisdom, all bodies— whether spiritual or material— have
three centers, called by the Greeks the upper center, the middle center, and the lower center. An
apparent ambiguity will here be noted. To diagram or symbolize adequately abstract mental verities is
impossible, for the diagrammatic representation of one aspect of metaphysical relationships may be
an actual contradiction of some other aspect. While that which

THE TETRAGRAMMATON IN THE HUMAN HEART.

From Bohme's LibriApologetici.

The Tetragrammaton, or four-lettered Name of God, is here arranged as a tetractys within the inverted human heart.
Beneath, the name Jehovah is shown transformed into Jehoshua by the interpolation of the radiant Hebrew letter no. Shin.
The drawing as a whole represents the throne of God and His hierarchies within the heart of man. In the first book of his
LibriApologetici, Jakob Bohme thus describes the meaning of the symbol: "For we men have one book in common which
points to God. Each has it within himself, which is the priceless Name of God. Its letters are the flames of His love, which
He out of His heart in the priceless Name of Jesus has revealed in us. Read these letters in your hearts and spirits and you
have books enough. All the writings of the children of God direct you unto that one book, for therein lie all the treasures of
wisdom. * * * This book is Christ in you."

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is above is generally considered superior in dignity and power, in reality that which is in the center is
superior and anterior to both that which is said to be above and that which is said to be below.
Therefore, it must be said that the first—which is considered as being above—is actually in the center,
while both of the others (which are said to be either above or below) are actually beneath. This point
can be further simplified if the reader will consider above as indicating degree of proximity to source
and below as indicating degree of distance from source, source being posited in the actual center and
relative distance being the various points along the radii from the center toward the circumference. In
matters pertaining to philosophy and theology, up maybe considered as toward the center and doivn
as toward the circumference. Center is spirit; circumference is matter. Therefore, up is toward spirit
along an ascending scale of spirituality; down is toward matter along an ascending scale of
materiality. The latter concept is partly expressed by the apex of a cone which, when viewed from
above, is seen as a point in the exact center of the circumference formed by the base of the cone.

These three universal centers— the one above, the one below, and the link uniting them-represent
three suns or three aspects of one sun— centers of effulgence. These also have their analogues in the
three grand centers of the human body, which, like the physical universe, is a Demiurgic fabrication.
"The first of these [suns]," says Thomas Taylor, "is analogous to light when viewed subsisting in its
fountain the sun; the second to the light immediately proceeding from the sun; and the third to the
splendour communicated to other natures by this light."

Since the superior (or spiritual) center is in the midst of the other two, its analogue in the physical
body is the heart— the most spiritual and mysterious organ in the human body. The second center (or
the link between the superior and inferior worlds) is elevated to the position of greatest physical
dignity— the brain. The third (or lower) center is relegated to the position of least physical dignity but
greatest physical importance— the generative system. Thus the heart is symbolically the source of life;
the brain the link by which, through rational intelligence, life and form are united; and the generative
system— or infernal creator— the source of that power by which physical organisms are produced. The

ideals and aspirations of the individual depend largely upon which of these three centers of power
predominates in scope and activity of expression. In the materialist the lower center is the strongest,
in the intellectualist the higher center; but in the initiate the middle center—by bathing the two
extremes in a flood of spiritual effulgence—controls wholesomely both the mind and the body.

As light bears witness of life-which is its source-so the mind bears witness of the spirit, and activity in
a still lower plane bears witness of intelligence. Thus the mind bears witness of the heart, while the
generative system, in turn, bears witness of the mind. Accordingly, the spiritual nature is most
commonly symbolized by a heart; the intellectual power by an opened eye, symbolizing the pineal
gland or Cyclopean eye, which is the two-faced Janus of the pagan Mysteries; and the generative
system by a flower, a staff, a cup, or a hand.

While all the Mysteries recognized the heart as the center of spiritual consciousness, they often
purposely ignored this concept and used the heart in its exoteric sense as the symbol of the emotional
nature, In this arrangement the generative center represented the physical body, the heart the
emotional body, and the brain the mental body. The brain represented the superior sphere, but after
the initiates had passed through the lower degrees they were instructed that the brain was the proxy
of the spiritual flame dwelling in the innermost recesses of the heart. The student of esotericism
discovers ere long that the ancients often resorted to various blinds to conceal the true interpretations
of their Mysteries. The substitution of the brain for the heart was one of these blinds.

The three degrees of the ancient Mysteries were, with few exceptions, given in chambers which
represented the three great centers of the human and Universal bodies. If possible, the temple itself
was constructed in the form of the human body. The candidate entered between the feet and received
the highest degree in the point corresponding to the brain. Thus the first degree was the material
mystery and its symbol was the generative system; it raised the candidate through the various degrees
of concrete thought. The second degree was given in the chamber corresponding to the heart, but
represented the middle power which was the mental link. Here the candidate was initiated into the
mysteries of abstract thought and lifted as high as the mind was capable of penetrating. He then
passed into the third chamber, which, analogous to the brain, occupied the highest position in the
temple but, analogous to the heart, was of the greatest dignity. In the brain chamber the heart
mystery was given. Here the initiate for the first time truly comprehended the meaning of those
immortal words: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." As there are seven hearts in the brain so
there are seven brains in the heart, but this is a matter of superphysics of which little can be said at
the present time.

Proclus writes on this subject in the first book of On the Theology of Plato: "Indeed, Socrates in the
(First) Alcibiades rightly observes, that the soul entering into herself will behold all other things, and
deity itself. For verging to her own union, and to the centre of all life, laying aside multitude, and the
variety of the all manifold powers which she contains, she ascends to the highest watch-tower
offerings. And as in the most holy of the mysteries, they say, that the mystics at first meet with the
multi form, and many-shaped genera, which are hurled forth before the gods, but on entering the
temple, unmoved, and guarded by the mystic rites, they genuinely receive in their bosom [heart]
divine illumination, and divested of their garments, as they would say, participate of a divine nature;
the same mode, as it appears to me, takes place in the speculation of wholes. For the soul when
looking at things posterior to herself, beholds the shadows and images of beings, but when she
converts herself to herself she evolves her own essence, and the reasons which she contains. And at
first indeed, she only as it were beholds herself; but, when she penetrates more profoundly into the
knowledge of herself, she finds in herself both intellect, and the orders of beings. When however, she
proceeds into her interior recesses, and into the adytum as it were of the soul, she perceives with her
eye closed [without the aid of the lower mind], the genus of the gods, and the unities of beings. For all
things are in us psychically, and through this we are naturally capable of knowing all things, by
exciting the powers and the images of wholes which we contain."

The initiates of old warned their disciples that an image is not a reality but merely the objectification

of a subjective idea. The image, of the gods were nor designed to be objects of worship but were to be
regarded merely as emblems or reminders of invisible powers and principles. Similarly, the body of
man must not be considered as the individual but only as the house of the individual, in the same
manner that the temple was the House of God. In a state of grossness and perversion man's body is
the tomb or prison of a divine

HAND DECORATED WITH EFFIGIES OF JESUS CHRIST, THE VIRGIN MARY, AND THE TWELVE APOSTLES.

From an old print, courtesy of Carl Oscar Borg.

Upon the twelve phalanges of the fingers, appear the likenesses of the Apostles, each bearing its own appropriate symbol.
In the case of those who suffered martyrdom the symbol signifies the instrument of death. Thus, the symbol of St. Andrew
is a cross; of St. Thomas, a javelin or a builder's square; of St. James the Less, a club; of St Philip, a cross; of St.
Bartholomew, a large knife or scimitar; of St. Matthew, a sword or spear (sometimes a purse); of St. Simon, a club or saw;
of St. Matthias, an axe; and of St. Judas, a halbert. The Apostles whose symbols do not elate to their martyrdom are St.
Peter, who carries two crossed keys, one gold and one silver; St. James the Great, who bears a pilgrim's staff and an
escalop shell; and St. John, who holds a cup from which the poison miraculously departed in the form of a serpent. (See
Handbook of Christian Symbolism.) The figure of Christ upon the second phalange of the thumb does not follow the
pagan system of assigning the first Person of the Creative Triad to this Position. God the Father should occupy the second
Phalange, God the Son the first phalange, while to God the Holy Spirit is assigned the base of the thumb.—Also, according
to the Philosophic arrangement, the Virgin should occupy the base of the thumb, which is sacred to the moon.

p-75

principle; in a state of unfoldment and regeneration it is the House or Sanctuary of the Deity by
whose creative powers it was fashioned. "Personality is suspended upon a thread from the nature of
Being," declares the secret work. Man is essentially a permanent and immortal principle; only his

bodies pass through the cycle of birth and death. The immortal is the reality; the mortal is the
unreality. During each period of earth life, reality thus dwells in unreality, to be liberated from it
temporarily by death and permanently by illumination.

While generally regarded as poljliheists, the pagans gained this reputation not because they
worshiped more than one God but rather because they personified the attributes of this God, thereby
creating a pantheon of posterior deities each manifesting a part of what the One God manifested as a
whole. The various pantheons of ancient religions therefore actually represent the catalogued and
personified attributes of Deity. In this respect they correspond to the hierarchies of the Hebrew
Qabbalists. All the gods and goddesses of antiquity consequently have their analogies in the human
body, as have also the elements, planets, and constellations which were assigned as proper vehicles
for these celestials. Four body centers are assigned to the elements, the seven vital organs to the
planets, the twelve principal parts and members to the zodiac, the invisible parts of man's divine
nature to various supermundane deities, while the hidden God was declared to manifest through the
marrow in the bones.

It is difficult for many to realize that they are actual universes; that their physical bodies are a visible
nature through the structure of which countless waves of evolving life are unfolding their latent
potentialities. Yet through man's physical body not only are a mineral, a plant, and an animal
kingdom evolving, but also unknown classifications and divisions of invisible spiritual life, just as
cells are infinitesimal units in the structure of man, so man is an infinitesimal unit in the structure of
the universe. A theology based upon the knowledge and appreciation of these relationships is as
profoundly just as it is profoundly true.

As man's physical body has five distinct and important extremities—two legs, two arms, and a head, of
which the last governs the first four —the number 5 has been accepted as the symbol of man. By its
four corners the pyramid symbolizes the arms and legs, and by its apex the head, thus indicating that
one rational power controls four irrational corners. The hands and feet are used to represent the four
elements, of which the two feet are earth and water, and the two hands fire and air. The brain then
symbolizes the sacred fifth element—aether—which controls and unites the other four. If the feet are
placed together and the arms outspread, man then symbolizes the cross with the rational intellect as
the head or upper limb.

The fingers and toes also have special significance. The toes represent the Ten Commandments of the
physical law and the fingers the Ten Commandments of the spiritual law. The four fingers of each
hand represent the four elements and the three phalanges of each finger represent the divisions of the
element, so that in each hand there are twelve parts to the fingers, which are analogous to the signs of
the zodiac, whereas the two phalanges and base of each thumb signify the threefold Deity. The first
phalange corresponds to the creative aspect, the second to the preservative aspect, and the base to the
generative and destructive aspect. When the hands are brought together, the result is the twenty-four
Elders and the six Days of Creation.

In symbolism the body is divided vertically into halves, the right half being considered as light and
the left half as darkness. By those unacquainted with the true meanings of light and darkness the light
half was denominated spiritual and the left half material. Light is the symbol of objectivity; darkness
of subjectivity. Light is a manifestation of life and is therefore posterior to life. That which is anterior
to light is darkness, in which light exists temporarily but darkness permanently. As life precedes light,
its only symbol is darkness, and darkness is considered as the veil which must eternally conceal the
true nature of abstract and undifferentiated Being.

In ancient times men fought with their right arms and defended the vital centers with their left arms,
on which was carried the protecting shield. The right half of the body was regarded therefore as
offensive and the left half defensive. For this reason also the right side of the body was considered

masculine and the left side feminine. Several authorities are of the opinion that the present prevalent

right-handedness of the race is the outgrowth of the custom of holding the left hand in restraint for
defensive purposes. Furthermore, as the source of Being is in the primal darkness which preceded
light, so the spiritual nature of man is in the dark part of his being, for the heart is on the left side.

Among the curious misconceptions arising from the false practice of associating darkness with evil is
one by which several early nations used the right hand for all constructive labors and the left hand for
only those purposes termed unclean and unfit for the sight of the gods. For the same reason black
magic was often referred to as the left-hand path, and heaven was said to be upon the right and hell
upon the left. Some philosophers further declared that there were two methods of writing: one from
left to right, which was considered the exoteric method; the other from right to left, which was
considered esoteric. The exoteric writing was that which was done out or away from the heart, while
the esoteric writing was that which—like the ancient Hebrew—was written toward the heart.

The secret doctrine declares that every part and member of the body is epitomized in the brain and, in
turn, that all that is in the brain is epitomized in the heart. In symbolism the human head is
frequently used to represent intelligence and self-knowledge. As the human body in its entirety is the
most perfect known product of the earth's evolution, it was employed to represent Divinity— the
highest appreciable state or condition. Artists, attempting to portray Divinity, often show only a hand
emerging from an impenetrable cloud. The cloud signifies the Unknowable Divinity concealed from
man by human limitation. The hand signifies the Divine activity, the only part of God which is
cognizable to the lower senses.

The face consists of a natural trinity: the eyes representing the spiritual power which comprehends;
the nostrils representing the preservative and vivifying power; and the mouth and ears representing
the material Demiurgic power of the lower world. The first sphere is eternally existent and is creative;
the second sphere pertains to the mystery of the creative breach; and the third sphere

THE THREEFOLD UFE OF THE INNER MAN.

Redrawn from Gichtel's Theosophia Practica.

Johann Georg Gichtel, a profound Philosopher and mystic, the most illumined of the disciples of Jakob Bohme, secretly
circulated the above diagrams among a small group of devoted friends and students. Gichtel republished the writings of
Bohme, illustrating them with numerous remarkable figures. According to Gichtel, the diagrams above, represent the
anatomy of the divine (or inner) man, and graphically set forth its condition during its human, infernal, and divine states.
The plates in the William Law edition of Bohme's works are based apparently upon Gichtel's diagrams, which they follow

in all essentials. Gichtel gives no detailed description of his figures, and the lettering on the original diagrams here
translated out of the German is the only clue to the interpretation of the charts.

The two end figures represent the obverse and reverse of the same diagram and are termed Table Three. They are
"designed to show the Condition of the whole Man, as to all his three essential Parts, Spirit, Soul, and Body, in his
Regenerated State." The third figure from the left is called the Second Table, and sets forth "the Condition of Man in his
old, lapsed, and corrupted State; without any respect to, or consideration of his renewing by regeneration." The third
figure, however, does not correspond with the First Table of William Law. The First Table presumably represents the
condition of humanity before the Fall, but the Gichtel plate pertains to the third, or regenerated, state of mankind.
William Law thus describes the purpose of the diagrams, and the symbols upon them: "These three tables are designed to
represent Man in his different Threefold State: the First before his Fall, in Purity, Dominion, and Glory: the Second after
his Fall, in Pollution and Perdition: and the Third in his rising from the Fall, or on the Way of regeneration, in
Sanctification and Tendency to his last Perfection." The student of Orientalism will immediately recognize in the symbols
upon the figures the Hindu chakras, or centers of spiritual force, the various motions and aspects of which reveal the
condition of the disciple's internal divine nature.

p. 76

to the creative word. By the Word of God the material universe was fabricated, and the seven creative
powers, or vowel sounds—which had been brought into existence by the speaking of the Word-
became the seven Elohim or Deities by whose power and ministration the lower world was organized.
Occasionally the Deity is symbolized by an eye, an ear, a nose, or a mouth. By the first, Divine
awareness is signified; by the second. Divine interest; by the third. Divine vitality; and by the fourth.
Divine command.

The ancients did not believe that spirituality made men either righteous or rational, but rather that
righteousness and rationality made men spiritual. The Mysteries taught that spiritual illumination
was attained only by bringing the lower nature up to a certain standard of efficiency and purity. The
Mysteries were therefore established for the purpose of unfolding the nature of man according to
certain fixed rules which, when faithfully followed, elevated the human consciousness to a point
where it was capable of cognizing its own constitution and the true purpose of existence. This
knowledge of how man's manifold constitution could be most quickly and most completely
regenerated to the point of spiritual illumination constituted the secret, or esoteric, doctrine of
antiquity. Certain apparently physical organs and centers are in reality the veils or sheaths of spiritual
centers. What these were and how they could be unfolded was never revealed to the unregenerate, for
the philosophers realized that once he understands the complete working of any system, a man may
accomplish a prescribed end without being qualified to manipulate and control the effects which he
has produced. For this reason long periods of probation were imposed, so that the knowledge of how
to become as the gods might remain the sole possession of the worthy.

Lest that knowledge be lost, however, it was concealed in allegories and myths which were
meaningless to the profane but self-evident to those acquainted with that theory of personal
redemption which was the foundation of philosophical theology. Christianity itself maybe cited as an
example. The entire New Testament is in fact an ingeniously concealed exposition of the secret
processes of human regeneration. The characters so long considered as historical men and women are
really the personification of certain processes which take place in the human body when man begins
the task of consciously liberating himself from the bondage of ignorance and death.

The garments and ornamentations supposedly worn by the gods are also keys, for in the Mysteries
clothing was considered as synonymous with form. The degree of spirituality or materiality of the
organisms was signified by the quality, beauty, and value of the garments worn. Man's physical body
was looked upon as the robe of his spiritual nature; consequently, the more developed were his super-
substantial powers the more glorious his apparel. Of course, clothing was originally worn for
ornamentation rather than protection, and such practice still prevails among many primitive peoples.
The Mysteries caught that man's only lasting adornments were his virtues and worthy characteristics;

that he was clothed in his own accompHshments and adorned by his attainments. Thus the white robe
was symbolic of purity, the red robe of sacrifice and love, and the blue robe of altruism and integrity.
Since the body was said to be the robe of the spirit, mental or moral deformities were depicted as
deformities of the body.

Considering man's body as the measuring rule of the universe, the philosophers declared that all
things resemble in constitution—if not in form— the human body. The Greeks, for example, declared
Delphi to be the navel of the earth, for the physical planet was looked upon as a gigantic human being
twisted into the form of a ball. In contradistinction to the belief of Christendom that the earth is an
inanimate thing, the pagans considered not only the earth but also all the sidereal bodies as
individual creatures possessing individual intelligences. They even went so far as to view the various
kingdoms of Nature as individual entities. The animal kingdom, for example, was looked upon as one
being—a composite of all the creatures composing that kingdom. This prototypic beast was a mosaic
embodiment of all animal propensities and within its nature the entire animal world existed as the
human species exists within the constitution of the prototypic Adam.

In the same manner, races, nations, tribes, religions, states, communities, and cities were viewed as
composite entities, each made up of varying numbers of individual units. Every community has an
individuality which is the sum of the individual attitudes of its inhabitants. Every religion is an
individual whose body is made up of a hierarchy and vast host of individual worshipers. The
organization of any religion represents its physical body, and its individual members the cell life
making up this organism. Accordingly, religions, races, and communities— like individuals— pass
through Shakespeare's Seven Ages, for the life of man is a standard by which the perpetuity of all
things is estimated.

According to the secret doctrine, man, through the gradual refinement of his vehicles and the ever-
increasing sensitiveness resulting from that refinement, is gradually overcoming the limitations of
matter and is disentangling himself from his mortal coil. When humanity has completed its physical
evolution, the empty shell of materiality left behind will be used by other life waves as steppingstones
to their own liberation. The trend of man's evolutionary growth is ever toward his own essential
Selfhood. At the point of deepest materialism, therefore, man is at the greatest distance from Himself.
According to the Mystery teachings, not all the spiritual nature of man incarnates in matter. The spirit
of man is diagrammatically shown as an equilateral triangle with one point downward. This lower
point, which is one-third of the spiritual nature but in comparison to the dignity of the other two is
much less than a third, descends into the illusion of material existence for a brief space of time. That
which never clothes itself in the sheath of matter is the Hermetic Anf/iropos— the Overman-
analogous to the Cyclops or guardian daemon of the Greeks, the angel of Jakob Bohme, and the
Oversoul of Emerson, "that Unity, that Oversoul, within which every man's particular being is
contained and made one with all other."

At birth only a third part of the Divine Nature of man temporarily dissociates itself from its own
immortality and takes upon itself the dream of physical birth and existence, animating with its own
celestial enthusiasm a vehicle composed of material elements, part of and bound to the material
sphere. At death this incarnated part awakens from the dream of physical existence and reunites itself
once more with its eternal condition. This periodical descent of spirit into matter is termed the wheel
of life and death, and the principles involved are treated at length by the philosophers under the
subject of metempsychosis. By initiation into the Mysteries and a certain process known as operative
theology, this law of birth and death is transcended, and during the course of physical existence that
part of the spirit which is asleep in form is awakened without the intervention of death— the inevitable
Initiator— and is consciously reunited with the Anthropos, or the overshadowing substance of itself.
This is at once the primary purpose and the consummate achievement of the Mysteries: that man
shall become aware of and consciously be reunited with the divine source of himself without tasting of
physical dissolution.

THE DIVINE TREE IN MAN
(reverse)

From Law's Figures of Jakob Bohme.

Just as the diagram representing the front view of man illustrates his divine principles in their regenerated state, so the
back view of the same figure sets forth the inferior, or "night," condition of the sun. From the Sphere of the Astral Mind a
line ascends through the Sphere of reason into that of the Senses. The Sphere of the Astral Mind and of the Senses are
filled with stars to signify the nocturnal condition of their natures. In the sphere of reason, the superior and the inferior
are reconciled, Reason in the mortal man corresponding to Illumined Understanding in the spiritual man.

THE DIVINE TREE IN MAN
(obverse)

From Law's Figures of Jakob Bohme.

A tree with its roots in the heart rises from the Mirror of the Deity through the Sphere of the Understanding to branch
forth in the Sphere of the Senses. The roots and trunk of this tree represent the divine nature of man and may be called his
spirituality; the branches of the tree are the separate parts of the divine constitution and may be likened to the
individuality; and the leaves—because of their ephemeral nature—correspond to the personality, which partakes of none
of the permanence of its divine source.

The Hiramic Legend

p-77

WHEN Solomon—the beloved of God, builder of the Everlasting House, and Grand Master of the
Lodge of Jerusalem—ascended the throne of his father David he consecrated his life to the erection of
a temple to God and a palace for the kings of Israel. David's faithful friend, Hiram, King of Tyre,
hearing that a son of David sat upon the throne of Israel, sent messages of congratulation and offers
of assistance to the new ruler. In his History of the Jews, Josephus mentions that copies of the letters
passing between the two kings were then to be seen both at Jerusalem and at Tyre. Despite Hiram's
lack of appreciation for the twenty cities of Galilee which Solomon presented to him upon the
completion of the temple, the two monarchs remained the best of friends. Both were famous for their
wit and wisdom, and when they exchanged letters each devised puzzling questions to test the mental
ingenuity of the other. Solomon made an agreement with Hiram of Tyre promising vast amounts of
barley, wheat, com, wine, and oil as wages for the masons and carpenters from Tyre who were to
assist the Jews in the erection of the temple. Hiram also supplied cedars and other fine trees, which
were made into rafts and floated down the sea to Joppa, whence they were taken inland by Solomon's
workmen to the temple site.

Because of his great love for Solomon, Hiram of Tyre sent also the Grand Master of the Dionysiac
Architects, CHiram Abiff, a Widow's Son, who had no equal among the craftsmen of the earth.
CHiram is described as being "a Tyrian by birch, but of Israelitish descent," and "a second Bezaleel,
honored by his king with the title of Father." The Freemason's Pocket Companion (published in 1771)
describes CHiram as "the most cunning, skilful and curious workman that ever lived, whose abilities
were not confined to building alone, but extended to all kinds of work, whether in gold, silver, brass
or iron; whether in linen, tapestry, or embroidery; whether considered as an architect, statuary [sic];
founder or designer, separately or together, he equally excelled. From his designs, and under his
direction, all the rich and splendid furniture of the Temple and its several appendages were begun,
carried on, and finished. Solomon appointed him, in his absence, to fill the chair, as Deputy Grand-
Master; and in his presence. Senior Grand-Warden, Master of work, and general overseer of all artists,
as well those whom David had formerly procured from Tyre and Sidon, as those Hiram should now
send." (Modem Masonic writers differ as to the accuracy of the last sentence.)

Although an immense amount of labor was involved in its construction, Solomon's Temple— in the
words of George Oliver— "was only a small building and very inferior in point of size to some of our
churches." The number of buildings contiguous to it and the vast treasure of gold and precious stones
used in its construction concentrated a great amount of wealth within the temple area. In the midst of
the temple stood the Holy of Holies, sometimes called the Oracle. It was an exact cube, each
dimension being twenty cubits, and exemplified the influence of Egyptian symbolism. The buildings
of the temple group were ornamented with 1,453 columns of Parian marble, magnificently sculptured,
and 2,906 pilasters decorated with capitals. There was a broad porch facing the east, and the sanctum
sanctorum was upon the west. According to tradition, the various buildings and courtyards could
hold in all 300,000 persons. Both the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies were entirely lined with solid
gold plates encrusted with jewels.

King Solomon began the building of the temple in the fourth year of his reign on what would be,
according to modern calculation, the 21st day of April, and finished it in the eleventh year of his reign
on the 23rd day of October. The temple was begun in the 480th year after the children of Israel had
passed the Red Sea. Part of the labor of construction included the building of an artificial foundation
on the brow of Mount Moriah. The stones for the temple were hoisted from quarries directly beneath
Mount Moriah and were trued before being brought to the surface. The brass and golden ornaments
for the temple were cast in molds in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredatha, and the wooden

parts were all finished before they reached the temple site. The building was put together,
consequently, without sound and without instruments, all its parts fitting exactly "without the
hammer of contention, the axe of division, or any tool of mischief."

Anderson's much-discussed Constitutions of the Free-Masons, published in London in 1723, and
reprinted by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia in 1734, thus describes the division of the laborers
engaged in the building of the Everlasting House:

"But Dagon's Temple, and the finest structures of Tyre and Sidon, could not be compared with the
Eternal God's Temple at Jerusalem, * * * there were employed about it no less than 3,600 Princes, or
Master-Masons, to conduct the work according to Solomon's directions, with 80,000 hewers of stone
in the mountain, or Fellow Craftsmen, and 70,000 labourers, in all 153,600 besides the levy under
Adoniram to work in the mountains of Lebanon by turns with the Sidonians, viz., 30,000, being in all
183,600." Daniel Sickels gives 3,300 overseers, instead of 3,600, and lists the three Grand Masters
separately. The same author estimates the cost of the temple at nearly four thousand millions of
dollars.

The Masonic legend of the building of Solomon's Temple does not in every particular parallel the
Scriptural version, especially in those portions relating to CHiram Abiff. According to the Biblical
account, this Master workman returned to his own country; in the Masonic allegory he is foully
murdered. On this point A. E. Waite, in his New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, makes the following
explanatory comment:

"The legend of the Master-Builder is the great allegory of Masonry. It happens that his figurative story
is grounded on the fact of a personality mentioned in Holy Scripture, but this historical background is
of the accidents and not the essence; the significance is in the allegory and not in any point of history
which may lie behind it."

CHiram, as Master of the Builders, divided his workmen into three groups, which were termed
Entered Apprentices, Felloiv-Craftsmen, and Master Masons. To each division he gave certain

A MASONIC APRON WITH SYMBOUC FIGURES.

From an early hand-painted Masonic apron.

while the mystic symboHsm of Freemasonry decrees that the apron shall be a simple square of white lambskin with
appropriate flap, Masonic aprons are frequently decorated with curious and impressive figures. "When silk cotton, or
linen is worn," writes Albert Pike, "the symbolism is lost. Nor is one clothed who blots, defaces, and desecrates the white
surface with ornamentation, figuring, or colors of any kind." (See Symbolism.)

To Mars, the ancient plane of cosmic energy, the Atlantean and Chaldean "star gazers" assigned Aries as a diurnal throne
and Scorpio as a nocturnal throne. Those not raised to spiritual life by initiation are described as "dead from the sting of a
scorpion," for they wander in the night side of divine power. Through the mystery of the Paschal Lamb, or the attainment
of the Golden Fleece, these soul are raised into the constructive day Power of Mars in Aries—the symbol of the Creator.

When worn over the area related to the animal passions, the pure lambskin signifies the regeneration of the procreative
forces and their consecration to the service of the Deity. The size of the apron, exclusive of the flap, makes it the symbol of
salvation, for the Mysteries declare that it must consist of 144 square inches.

The apron shown above contains a wealth of symbolism: the beehive, emblematic of the Masonic lodge itself, the trowel,
the mallet, and the trestleboad; the rough and trued ashlars; the pyramids and hills of Lebanon; the pillars, the Temple,
and checkerboard floor; and the blazing star and tools of the Craft. The center of the apron is occupied by the compass
and square, representative of the Macrocosm an the microcosm, and the alternately black and white serpent of astral light.
Below is an acacia branch with seven sprigs, signifying the life Centers of the superior and the inferior man. The skull and
cross bones are a continual reminder that the spiritual nature attains liberation only after the philosophical death of man's
sensuous personality.

p. 78

passwords and signs by which their respective excellence could be quickly determined. While all were
classified according to their merits some were dissatisfied, for they desired a more exalted position
than they were capable of filling. At last three Fellow-Craftsmen, more daring than their companions,
determined to force CHiram to reveal to them the password of the Master's degree. Knowing that
CHiram always went into the unfinished sanctum sanctorum at high noon to pray, these ruffians—
whose names were Jubela, Jubelo, and Jubelum~lay in wait for him, one at each of the main gates of
the temple. CHiram, about to leave the temple by the south gate, was suddenly confronted by Jubela
armed with a twenty-four-inch gauge. Upon CHiram's refusal to reveal the Master's Word, the ruffian
struck him on the throat with the rule, and the wounded Master then hastened to the west gate, where
Jubelo, armed with a square, awaited him and made a similar demand. Again CHiram was silent, and
the second assassin struck him on the breast with the square. CHiram thereupon staggered to the east
gate, only to be met there by Jubelum armed with a maul. When CHiram, refused him the Master's
Word, Jubelum struck the Master between the eyes with the mallet and CHiram fell dead.

The body of CHiram was buried by the murderers over the brow of Mount Moriah and a sprig of
acacia placed upon the grave. The murderers then sought to escape punishment for their crime by
embarking for Ethiopia, but the port was closed. All three were finally captured, and after admitting
their guilt were duly executed. Parties of three were then sent out by King Solomon, and one of these
groups discovered the newly made grave marked by the evergreen sprig. After the Entered
Apprentices and the Fellow-Craftsmen had failed to resurrect their Master from the dead he was
finally raised by the Master Mason with the "strong grip of a Lion's Paw."

To the initiated Builder the name CHiram Abiffsigmfies "My Father, the Universal Spirit, one in
essence, three in aspect." Thus the murdered Master is a type of the Cosmic Martyr—the crucified
Spirit of Good, the dying god— whose Mystery is celebrated throughout the world. Among the
manuscripts of Dr. Sigismund Bastrom, the initiated Rosicrucian, appears the following extract from
von Welling concerning the true philosophic nature of the Masonic CHiram:

"The original word DTn, CHiram, is a radical word consisting of three consonants "i n and d i. e. Cheth,
Resh and Mem. (1) n, Cheth, signifies Chamah, the Sun's light, i. e. the Universal, invisible, cold fire
of Nature attracted by the Sun, manifested into light and sent down to us and to every planetary body
belonging to the solar system. (2) i, Resh, signifies nn Ruach, i. e. Spirit, air, wind, as being the

Vehicle which conveys and collects the light into numberless Foci, wherein the solar rays of light are
agitated by a circular motion and manifested in Heat and burning Fire. (3) a, or a Mem, signifies
majim, water, humidity, but rather the mother of water, i. e. Radical Humidity or a particular kind of
condensed air. These three constitute the Universal Agent or fire of Nature in one word, m^n, CHiram,
not Hiram."

Albert Pike mentions several forms of the name CHiram: Khirm, Khurm, and Khur-Om, the latter
ending in the sacred Hindu monosyllable OM, which may also be extracted from the names of the
three murderers. Pike further relates the three ruffians to a triad of stars in the constellation of Libra
and also calls attention to the fact that the Chaldean god Bal~metamorphosed into a demon by the
Jews—appears in the name of each of the murderers, Jube/a, Jube/o, and Ju5e/um. To interpret the
Hiramic legend requires familiarity with both the Pythagorean and Qabbalistic systems of numbers
and letters, and also the philosophic and astronomic cycles of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and
Brahmins. For example, consider the number 33. The first temple of Solomon stood for thirty-three
years in its pristine splendor. At the end of that time it was pillaged by the Egyptian King Shishak,
and finally (588 B.C.) it was completely destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the people of Jerusalem
were led into captivity to Babylon. (See General History of Freemasonry, by Robert Macoy.) Also
King David ruled for thirty-three years in Jerusalem; the Masonic Order is divided into thirty-three
symbolic degrees; there are thirty-three segments in the human spinal column; and Jesus was
crucified in the thirty-third year of His life.

The efforts made to discover the origin of the Hiramic legend show that, while the legend in its
present form is comparatively modem, its underlying principles run back to remotest antiquity. It is
generally admitted by modem Masonic scholars that the story of the martyred CHiram is based upon
the Egyptian rites of Osiris, whose death and resurrection figuratively portrayed the spiritual death of
man and his regeneration through initiation into the Mysteries. CHiram is also identified with
Hermes through the inscription on the Emerald Table. From these associations it is evident that
CHiram is to be considered as a prototype of humanity; in fact he is Plato's Idea (archetype) of man.
As Adam after the Fall symbolizes the Idea of human degeneration, so CHiram through his
resurrection symbolizes the Idea of human regeneration.

On the 19th day of March, 1314, Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templars,
was burned on a pyre erected upon that point of the islet of the Seine, at Paris, where afterwards was
erected the statue of King Henry IV. (See The Indian Religions, by Hargrave Jennings.) "It is
mentioned as a tradition in some of the accounts of the burning," writes Jennings, "that Molay, ere he
expired, summoned Clement, the Pope who had pronounced the bull of abolition against the Order
and had condemned the Grand Master to the flames, to appear, within forty days, before the Supreme
Eternal judge, and Philip [the king] to the same awful tribunal within the space of a year. Both
predictions were fulfilled." The close relationship between Freemasonry and the original Knights
Templars has caused the story of CHiram to be linked with the martyrdom of Jacques de Molay.
According to this interpretation, the three ruffians who cruelly slew their Master at the gates of the
temple because he refused to reveal the secrets of his Order represent the Pope, the king, and the
executioners. De Molay died maintaining his innocence and refusing to disclose the philosophical and
magical arcana of the Templars.

Those who have sought to identify CHiram with the murdered King Charles the First conceive the
Hiramic legend to have been invented for that purpose by Elias Ashmole, a mystical philosopher, who
was probably a member of the Rosicrucian Fraternity. Charles was dethroned in 1647 and died on the
block in 1649, leaving the Royalist party leaderless. An attempt has been made to relate the term "the
Sons of the Widow" (an appellation frequently applied to members of the Masonic Order) to this
incident in English history, for by the murder of her king England became a Widow and all
Englishmen Widow's Sons.

To the mystic Christian Mason, CHiram. represents the Christ who in three days (degrees) raised the
temple of His body from its earthly sepulcher. His three murderers were Csesar's agent (the state), the
Sanhedrin (the church), and the incited populace (the mob). Thus considered, CHiram becomes the
higher nature of man and the murderers are ignorance, superstition, and fear. The indwelling Christ
can give expression to Himself in this world only through man's thoughts, feelings, and actions. Right
thinking, right feeling, and right action—these are three gates through which the Christ power passes
into the material world, there to labor in the erection of the Temple of Universal Brotherhood.
Ignorance, superstition, and fear are three ruffians through whose agencies the Spirit of Good is
murdered and a false kingdom, controlled by wrong thinking, wrong feeling, and wrong action,
established in its stead. In the material universe evil appears ever victorious.

"In this sense," writes Daniel Sickels, "the myth of the Tyrian is perpetually repeated in the history of
human affairs. Orpheus was murdered, and his body thrown into the Hebrus; Socrates was made to
drink the hemlock; and, in all ages, we have seen Evil temporarily triumphant, and Virtue and Truth
calumniated, persecuted, crucified, and slain. But Eternal justice marches surely and swiftly through
the world: the Typhous, the children of darkness, the plotters of crime, all the infinitely varied forms
of evil, are swept into oblivion; and Truth and Virtue—for a time laid low— come forth, clothed with
diviner majesty, and crowned with everlasting glory!" (See General Ahiman Rezon.)

If, as there is ample reason to suspect, the modern Freemasonic Order was profoundly influenced by,
if it is not an actual outgrowth of, Francis Bacon's secret society, its symbolism is undoubtedly
permeated with Bacon's two great ideals: universal education and universal democracy. The deadly
enemies of universal education are ignorance, superstition, and fear, by which the human soul is held
in bondage to the lowest part of its own constitution. The arrant enemies of universal democracy have
ever been the crown, the tiara, and the torch. Thus CHiram symbolizes that ideal state of spiritual,
intellectual, and physical emancipation which has ever been sacrificed upon the altar of human
selfishness. CHiram is the Beautifier of the Eternal House. Modern utilitarianism, however, sacrifices
the beautiful for the practical, in the same breath declaring the obvious lie that selfishness, hatred,
and discord are practical.

Dr. Orville Ward Owen found a considerable part of the first

THE EMBLEMATIC HAND OF THE MYSTERIES.

From Montfaucon's Antiquities.

A hand covered with numerous symbols was extended to the neophj^es when they entered into the Temple of Wisdom. An
understanding of the embossed upon the surface of the hand brought with it Divine power and regeneration Therefore, by
means of these symbolic hands the candidate was said to be raised from the dead.

p-79

thirty-two degrees of Freemasonic ritualism hidden in the text of the First Shakespeare Foho.
Masonic emblems are to be observed also upon the title pages of nearly every book published by
Bacon. Sir Francis Bacon considered himself as a living sacrifice upon the altar of human need; he
was obviously cut down in the midst of his labors, and no student of his New Atlantis can fail to
recognize the Masonic symbolism contained therein. According to the observations of Joseph Fort
Newton, the Temple of Solomon described by Bacon in that Utopian romance was not a house at all
but the name of an ideal state. Is it not true that the Temple of Freemasonry is also emblematic of a
condition of society? While, as before stated, the principles of the Hiramic legend are of the greatest
antiquity, it is not impossible that its present form may be based upon incidents in the life of Lord
Bacon, who passed through the philosophic death and was raised in Germany.

In an old manuscript appears the statement that the Freemasonic Order was formed by alchemists
and Hermetic philosophers who had banded themselves together to protect their secrets against the
infamous methods used by avaricious persons to wring from them the secret of gold-making. The fact
that the Hiramic legend contains an alchemical formula gives credence to this story. Thus the
building of Solomon's Temple represents the consummation of the magnum opus, which cannot be
realized without the assistance of CHiram, the Universal Agent. The Masonic Mysteries teach the
initiate how to prepare within his own soul a miraculous powder of projection by which it is possible
for him to transmute the base lump of human ignorance, perversion, and discord into an ingot of
spiritual and philosophic gold.

Sufficient similarity exists between the Masonic CHiram and the Kundalini of Hindu mysticism to
warrant the assumption that CHiram may be considered a symbol also of the Spirit Fire moving
through the sixth ventricle of the spinal column. The exact science of human regeneration is the Lost
Key of Masonry, for when the Spirit Fire is lifted up through the thirty-three degrees, or segments of
the spinal column, and enters into the domed chamber of the human skull, it finally passes into the
pituitary body (Isis), where it invokes Ra (the pineal gland) and demands the Sacred Name. Operative
Masonry, in the fullest meaning of that term, signifies the process by which the Eye of Horus is
opened. E. A. Wallis Budge has noted that in some of the papyri illustrating the entrance of the souls
of the dead into the judgment hall of Osiris the deceased person has a pine cone attached to the crown
of his head. The Greek mystics also carried a symbolic staff, the upper end being in the form of a pine
cone, which was called the thyrsus of Bacchus. In the human brain there is a tiny gland called the
pineal body, which is the sacred eye of the ancients, and corresponds to the third eye of the Cyclops.
Little is known concerning the function of the pineal body, which Descartes suggested (more wisely
than he knew) might be the abode of the spirit of man. As its name signifies, the pineal gland is the
sacred pine cone in man—the eye single, which cannot be opened until CHiram (the Spirit Fire) is
raised through the sacred seals which are called the Seven Churches in Asia.

There is an Oriental painting which shows three sun bursts. One sunburst covers the head, in the
midst of which sits Brahma with four heads, his body a mysterious dark color. The second sunburst—
which covers the heart, solar plexus, and upper abdominal region—shows Vishnu sitting in the
blossom of the lotus on a couch formed of the coils of the serpent of cosmic motion, its seven-hooded
head forming a canopy over the god. The third sunburst is over the generative system, in the midst of
which sits Shiva, his body a grayish white and the Ganges River flowing out of the crown of his head.
This painting was the work of a Hindu mystic who spent many years subtly concealing great
philosophical principles within these figures. The Christian legends could be related also to the
human body by the same method as the Oriental, for the arcane meanings hidden in the teachings of
both schools are identical.

As applied to Masonry, the three sunbursts represent the gates of the temple at which CHiram was

struck, there being no gate in the north because the sun never shines from the northern angle of the
heavens. The north is the symbol of the physical because of its relation to ice (crystallized water) and
to the body (crystallized spirit). In man the light shines toward the north but never from it, because
the body has no light of its own but shines with the reflected glory of the divine life-particles
concealed within physical substance. For this reason the moon is accepted as the symbol of man's
physical nature. CHiram is the mysterious fiery, airy water which must be raised through the three
grand centers symbolized by the ladder with three rungs and the sunburst flowers mentioned in the
description of the Hindu painting. It must also pass upward by means of the ladder of seven rungs-
the seven plexuses proximate to the spine. The nine segments of the sacrum and coccyx are pierced by
ten foramina, through which pass the roots of the Tree of Life. Nine is the sacred number of man, and
in the symbolism of the sacrum and coccyx a great mystery is concealed. That part of the body from
the kidneys downward was termed by the early Qabbalists the Land of Egypt into which the children
of Israel were taken during the captivity. Out of Egypt, Moses (the illuminated mind, as his name
implies) led the tribes of Israel (the twelve faculties) by raising the brazen serpent in the wilderness
upon the symbol of the Tau cross. Not only CHiram but the god-men of nearly every pagan Mystery
ritual are personifications of the Spirit Fire in the human spinal cord.

The astronomical aspect of the Hiramic legend must not be overlooked. The tragedy of CHiram is
enacted annually by the sun during its passage through the signs of the zodiac.

"From the journey of the Sun through the twelve signs," writes Albert Pike, "come the legend of the
twelve labors of Hercules, and the incarnations of Vishnu and Buddha. Hence came the legend of the
murder of Khurum, representative of the Sun, by the three Fellow-Crafts, symbols of the Winter signs,
Capricornus, Aquarius, and Pisces, who assailed him at the three gates of Heaven and slew him at the
Winter Solstice. Hence the search for him by the nine Fellow-Crafts, the other nine signs, his finding,
burial, and resurrection." (See Morals and Dogma.)

Other authors consider Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius as the three murderers of the sun, inasmuch as
Osiris was murdered by Typhon, to whom were assigned the thirty degrees of the constellation of
Scorpio. In the Christian Mysteries also Judas signifies the Scorpion, and the thirty pieces of silver for
which he betrayed His Lord represent the number of degrees in that sign. Having been struck by
Libra (the state), Scorpio (the church), and Sagittarius (the mob), the sun (CHiram) is secretly home
through the darkness by the signs of Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces and buried over the brow of a
hill (the vernal equinox). Capricorn has for its symbol an old man with a scythe in his hand. This is
Father Time—a wayfarer —who is symbolized in Masonry as straightening out the ringlets of a young
girl's hair. If the Weeping Virgin be considered a symbol of Virgo, and Father Time with his scythe a
symbol of Capricorn, then the interval of ninety degrees between these two signs will be found to
correspond to that occupied by the three murderers. Esoterically, the urn containing the ashes of
CHiram represents the human heart. Saturn, the old man who lives at the north pole, and brings with
him to the children of men a sprig of evergreen (the Christmas tree), is familiar to the little folks
under the name of Santa Clous, for he brings each winter the gift of a new year.

The martyred sun is discovered by Aries, a Fellow-Craftsman, and at the vernal equinox the process of
raising him begins. This is finally accomplished by the Lion of Judah, who in ancient times occupied
the position of the keystone of the Royal Arch of Heaven. The precession of the equinoxes causes
various signs to play the role of the murderers of the sun during the different ages of the world, but
the principle involved remains unchanged. Such is the cosmic story of CHiram, the Universal
Benefactor, the Fiery Architect: of the Divine House, who carries with him to the grave that Lost
Word which, when spoken, raises all life to power and glory. According to Christian mysticism, when
the Lost Word is found it is discovered in a stable, surrounded by beasts and marked by a star. "After
the sun leaves Leo," writes Robert Hewitt Brown, "the days begin to grow unequivocally shorter as the
sun declines toward the autumnal equinox, to be again slain by the three autumnal months, lie dead

through the three winter ones, and be raised again by the three vernal ones. Each year the great
tragedy is repeated, and the glorious resurrection takes place." (See Stellar Theology and Masonic
Astronomy.)

CHiram is termed dead because in the average individual the cosmic creative forces are limited in
their manifestation to purely physical—and correspondingly materialistic—expression. Obsessed by
his belief in the reality and permanence of physical existence, man does not correlate the material
universe with the blank north wall of the temple. As the solar light symbolically is said to die as it
approaches the winter solstice, so the physical world maybe termed

Crowned with a triple tower-like tiara and her form adorned with symbolic creatures representative of her spiritual
powers, Diana stood for the source of that imperishable doctrine which, flowing from the bosom of the Great
Multimammia, is the spiritual food of those aspiring men and women who have consecrated their lives to the
contemplation of reality. As the physical body of man receives its nutriment from the Great Earth Mother, so the spiritual
nature of man is fed from the never failing fountains of Truth pouring outward from the invisible worlds.

the winter solstice of the spirit. Reaching the winter solstice, the sun apparently stands still for three
days and then, rolling away the stone of winter, begins its triumphal march north towards the
summer solstice. The condition of ignorance may be likened to the winter solstice of philosophy;
spiritual understanding to the summer solstice. From this point of view, initiation into the Mysteries
becomes the vernal equinox of the spirit, at which time the CHiram in man crosses from the realm of

DIANA OF EPHESUS.

From Montfaucon's Antiquities.

p. 80

mortality into that of eternal life. The autumnal equinox is analogous to the mythological /a// of man,
at which time the human spirit descended into the realms of Hades by being immersed in the illusion
of terrestrial existence.

In An Essay on the Beautiful, Plotinus describes the refining effect of beauty upon the unfolding
consciousness of man. Commissioned to decorate the Everlasting House, CHiram Abiff is the
embodiment of the beautifying principle. Beauty is essential to the natural unfoldment of the human
soul. The Mysteries held that man, in part at least, was the product of his environment. Therefore
they considered it imperative that every person be surrounded by objects which would evoke the
highest and noblest sentiments. They proved that it was possible to produce beauty in life by
surrounding life with beauty. They discovered that symmetrical bodies were built by souls
continuously in the presence of symmetrical bodies; that noble thoughts were produced by minds
surrounded by examples of mental nobility. Conversely, if a man were forced to look upon an ignoble
or asymmetrical structure it would arouse within him a sense of ignobility which would provoke him
to commit ignoble deeds. If an ill-proportioned building were erected in the midst of a city there
would be ill-proportioned children born in that community; and men and women, gazing upon the
asymmetrical structure, would live inharmonious lives. Thoughtful men of antiquity realized that
their great philosophers were the natural products of the aesthetic ideals of architecture, music, and
art established as the standards of the cultural systems of the time.

The substitution of the discord of the fantastic for the harmony of the beautiful constitutes one of the
great tragedies of every civilization. Not only were the Savior-Gods of the ancient world beautiful, but
each performed a ministry of beauty, seeking to effect man's regeneration by arousing within him the
love of the beautiful. A renaissance of the golden age of fable can be made possible only by the
elevation of beauty to its rightful dignity as the all-pervading, idealizing quality in the religious,
ethical, sociological, scientific, and political departments of life. The Dionysiac Architects were
consecrated to the raising of their Master Spirit—Cosmic Beauty—from the sepulcher of material
ignorance and selfishness by erecting buildings which were such perfect exemplars of symmetry and
majesty that they were actually magical formulee by which was evoked the spirit of the martyred
Beautifier entombed within a materialistic world.

In the Masonic Mysteries the triune spirit of man (the light Delta) is symbolized by the three Grand
Masters of the Lodge of Jerusalem. As God is the pervading principle of three worlds, in each of which
He manifests as an active principle, so the spirit of man, partaking of the nature of Divinity, dwells
upon three planes of being: the Supreme, the Superior, and the Inferior spheres of the Pythagoreans.
At the gate of the Inferior sphere (the underworld, or dwelling place of mortal creatures) stands the
guardian of Hades— the three— headed dog Cerberus, who is analogous to the three murderers of the
Hiramic legend. According to this symbolic interpretation of the triune spirit, CHiram is the third, or
incarnating, part— the Master Builder who through all ages erects living temples of flesh and blood as
shrines of the Most High. CHiram comes forth as a flower and is cut down; he dies at the gates of
matter; he is buried in the elements of creation, but— like Thor— he swings his mighty hammer in the
fields of space, sets the primordial atoms in motion, and establishes order out of Chaos. As the
potentiality of cosmic power within each human soul, CHiram lies waiting for man by the elaborate
ritualism of life to transmute potentiality into divine potency. As the sense perceptions of the
individual increase, however, man gains ever greater control over his various parts, and the spirit of
life within gradually attains freedom. The three murderers represent the laws of the Inferior world-
birth, growth, and decay— which ever frustrate the plan of the Builder. To the average individual,
physical birch actually signifies the death of CHiram, and physical death the resurrection of CHiram.
To the initiate, however, the resurrection of the spiritual nature is accomplished without the
intervention of physical death.

The curious symbols found in the base of Cleopatra's Needle now standing in Central Park, New York,
were interpreted as being of first Masonic significance by S. A. Zola, 33° Past Grand Master of the

Grand Lodge of Egypt. Masons' marks and symbols are to be found on the stones of numerous public
buildings not only in England and on the Continent but also in Asia. In his Indian Masons' Marks of
the Moghul Dynasty, A. Gorham describes scores of markings appearing on the walls of buildings
such as the Taj Mahal, the Jama Masjid, and that: famous Masonic structure, the Kutab Minar.
According to those who regard Masonry as an outgrowth of the secret society of architects and
builders which for thousands of years formed a caste of master craftsmen, CHiram Abiff was the
Tyrian Grand Master of a world-wide organization of artisans, with headquarters in Tyre. Their
philosophy consisted of incorporating into the measurements and ornamentation of temples, palaces,
mausoleums, fortresses, and other public buildings their knowledge of the laws controlling the
universe. Every initiated workman was given a hieroglyphic with which he marked the stones he
trued to show to all posterity that he thus dedicated to the Supreme Architect of the Universe each
perfected product of his labor. Concerning Masons' marks, Robert Freke Gould writes:

"It is very remarkable that these marks are to be found in all countries—in the chambers of the Great
Pyramid at Gizeh, on the underground walls of Jerusalem, in Herculaneum and Pompeii, on Roman
walls and Grecian temples, in Hindustan, Mexico, Peru, Asia Minor—as well as on the great ruins of
England, France, Germany, Scotland, Italy, Portugal and Spain." (See A Concise History of
Freemasonry.)

From this viewpoint the story of CHiram may well represent the incorporation of the divine secrets of
architecture into the actual parts and dimensions of earthly buildings. The three degrees of the Craft
bury the Grand Master (the Great Arcanum) in the actual structure they erect, after first having killed
him with the builders' tools, by reducing the dimensionless Spirit of Cosmic Beauty to the limitations
of concrete form. These abstract ideals of architecture can be resurrected, however, by the Master
Mason who, by meditating upon the structure, releases therefrom the divine principles of
architectonic philosophy incorporated or buried within it. Thus the physical building is actually the
tomb or embodiment of the Creative Ideal of which its material dimensions are but the shadow.

Moreover, the Hiramic legend may be considered to embody the vicissitudes of philosophy itself. As
institutions for the dissemination of ethical culture, the pagan Mysteries were the architects of
civilization. Their power and dignity were personified in CHiram Abiff— the Master Builder— but they
eventually fell a victim to the onslaughts of that recurrent trio of state, church, and mob. They were
desecrated by the state, jealous of their wealth and power; by the early church, fearful of their wisdom;
and by the rabble or soldiery incited by both state and church. As CHiram when raised from his grave
whispers the Master Mason's Word which was lost through his untimely death, so according to the
tenets of philosophy the reestablishment or resurrection of the ancient Mysteries will result in the
rediscovery of that secret teaching without which civilization must continue in a state of spiritual
confusion and uncertainty.

When the mob governs, man is ruled by ignorance; when the church governs, he is ruled by
superstition; and when the state governs, he is ruled by fear. Before men can live together in harmony
and understanding, ignorance must be transmuted into wisdom, superstition into an illumined faith,
and fear into love. Despite statements to the contrary. Masonry is a religion seeking to unite God and
man by elevating its initiates to that level of consciousness whereon they can behold with clarified
vision the workings of the Great Architect of the Universe. From age to age the vision of a perfect
civilization is preserved as the ideal for mankind. In the midst of that civilization shall stand a mighty
university wherein both the sacred and secular sciences concerning the mysteries of life will be freely
taught to all who will assume the philosophic life. Here creed and dogma will have no place; the
superficial will be removed and only the essential be preserved. The world will be ruled by its most
illumined minds, and each will occupy the position for which he is most admirably fitted.

The great university will be divided into grades, admission to which will be through preliminary tests
or initiations. Here mankind will be instructed in the most sacred, the most secret, and the most

enduring of all Mysteries— Symbolism. Here the initiate will be taught that every visible object, every
abstract thought, every emotional reaction is but the symbol of an eternal principle. Here mankind
will learn that CHiram (Truth) lies buried in every atom of Kosmos; that every form is a symbol and
every symbol the tomb of an eternal verity. Through education—spiritual, mental, moral, and
physical—man will learn to release living truths from their lifeless coverings. The perfect government
of the earth must be patterned eventually after that divine government by which the universe is
ordered. In that day when perfect order is reestablished, with peace universal and good triumphant,
men will no longer seek for happiness, for they shall find it welling up within themselves. Dead hopes,
dead aspirations, dead virtues shall rise from their graves, and the Spirit of Beauty and Goodness
repeatedly slain by ignorant men shall again be the Master of Work. Then shall sages sit upon the
seats of the mighty and the gods walk with men.

p. 81

The Pythagorean Theory of Music and

Color

HARMONY is a state recognized by great philosophers as the immediate prerequisite of beauty. A
compound is termed beautiful only when its parts are in harmonious combination. The world is
called beautiful and its Creator is designated the Good because good perforce must act in conformity
with its own nature; and good acting according to its own nature is harmony, because the good which
it accomplishes is harmonious with the good which it is. Beauty, therefore, is harmony manifesting its
own intrinsic nature in the world of form.

The universe is made up of successive gradations of good, these gradations ascending from matter
(which is the least degree of good) to spirit (which is the greatest degree of good). In man, his
superior nature is the summum bonum. It therefore follows that his highest nature most readily
cognizes good because the good external to him in the world is in harmonic ratio with the good
present in his soul. What man terms evil is therefore, in common with matter, merely the least degree
of its own opposite. The least degree of good presupposes likewise the least degree of harmony and
beauty. Thus deformity (evil) is really the least harmonious combination of elements naturally
harmonic as individual units. Deformity is unnatural, for, the sum of all things being the Good, it is
natural that all things should partake of the Good and be arranged in combinations that are
harmonious. Harmony is the manifesting expression of the Will of the eternal Good.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC

It is highly probable that the Greek initiates gained their knowledge of the philosophic and
therapeutic aspects of music from the Egyptians, who, in turn, considered Hermes the founder of the
art. According to one legend, this god constructed the first lyre by stretching strings across the
concavity of a turtle shell. Both Isis and Osiris were patrons of music and poetry. Plato, in describing
the antiquity of these arts among the Egyptians, declared that songs and poetry had existed in Egypt
for at least ten thousand years, and that these were of such an exalted and inspiring nature that only
gods or godlike men could have composed them. In the Mysteries the lyre was regarded as the secret
symbol of the human constitution, the body of the instrument representing the physical form, the
strings the nerves, and the musician the spirit. Playing upon the nerves, the spirit thus created the
harmonies of normal functioning, which, however, became discords if the nature of man were defiled.

While the early Chinese, Hindus, Persians, Egyptians, Israelites, and Greeks employed both vocal and
instrumental music in their religious ceremonials, also to complement their poetry and drama, it
remained for Pythagoras to raise the art to its true dignity by demonstrating its mathematical
foundation. Although it is said that he himself was not a musician, Pythagoras is now generally
credited with the discovery of the diatonic scale. Having first learned the divine theory of music from
the priests of the various Mysteries into which he had been accepted, Pythagoras pondered for several
years upon the laws governing consonance and dissonance. How he actually solved the problem is
unknown, but the following explanation has been invented.

One day while meditating upon the problem of harmony, Pythagoras chanced to pass a brazier's shop
where workmen were pounding out a piece of metal upon an anvil. By noting the variances in pitch
between the sounds made by large hammers and those made by smaller implements, and carefully
estimating the harmonies and discords resulting from combinations of these sounds, he gained his
first clue to the musical intervals of the diatonic scale. He entered the shop, and after carefully
examining the tools and making mental note of their weights, returned to his own house and

constructed an arm of wood so that it: extended out from the wall of his room. At regular intervals

along this arm he attached four cords, all of like composition, size, and weight. To the first of these he
attached a twelve-pound weight, to the second a nine-pound weight, to the third an eight-pound
weight, and to the fourth a six-pound weight. These different weights corresponded to the sizes of the
braziers' hammers.

Pythagoras thereupon discovered that the first and fourth strings when sounded together produced
the harmonic interval of the octave, for doubling the weight had the same effect as halving the string.
The tension of the first string being twice that of the fourth string, their ratio was said to be 2:1, or
duple. By similar experimentation he ascertained that the first and third string produced the harmony
of the diapente, or the interval of the fifth. The tension of the first string being half again as much as
that of the third string, their ratio was said to be 3:2, or sesquialter. Likewise the second and fourth
strings, having the same ratio as the first and third strings, yielded a diapente harmony. Continuing
his investigation, Pythagoras discovered that the first and second strings produced the harmony of
the diatessaron, or the interval of the third; and the tension of the first string being a third greater
than that of the second string, their ratio was said to be 4:3, or sesquitercian. The third and fourth
strings, having the same ratio as the first and second strings, produced another harmony of the
diatessaron. According to lamblichus, the second and third strings had the ratio of 8:9, or epogdoan.

The key to harmonic ratios is hidden in the famous Pythagorean tetractys, or pyramid of dots. The
tetractys is made up of the first four numbers~i, 2, 3, and 4~which in their proportions reveal the
intervals of the octave, the diapente, and the diatessaron. While the law of harmonic intervals as set
forth above is true, it has been subsequently proved that hammers striking metal in the manner

THE INTERVALS AND HARMONIES OF THE SPHERES.

From Stanley's The History of Philosophy.

In the Pythagorean concept of the music of the spheres, the interval between the earth and the sphere of the fixed stars
was considered to be a diapason—the most perfect harmonic interval. The allowing arrangement is most generally
accepted for the musical intervals of the planets between the earth and the sphere of the fixed stars: From the sphere of
the earth to the sphere of the moon; one tone; from the sphere of the moon to that of Mercury, one half-tone; from
Mercury to Venus, one-half; from Venus to the sun, one and one-half tones; from the sun to Mars, one tone; from Mars to
Jupiter, one-half tone; from Jupiter to Saturn, one-half tone; from Saturn to the fixed stars, one-half tone. The sum of
these intervals equals the six whole tones of the octave.

THE CONSONANCES OF THE MUNDANE MONOCHORD.

From Fludd's De Musica Mundana.

This diagrammatic sector represents the major gradations of energy and substance between elemental earth and absolute
unconditioned force. Beginning with the superior, the fifteen graduated spheres descend in the following order: Limitless
and Eternal Life; the superior, the middle, and the inferior Empyrean; the seven planets; and the four elements. Energy is
symbolized by Fludd as a pyramid with its base upon the concave surface of the superior Empyrean, and substance as
another Pyramid with its base upon the convex surface of the sphere (not planet) of earth. These pyramids demonstrate
the relative proportions of energy and substance entering into the composition of the fifteen planes of being. It will be
noted that the ascending pyramid of substance touches but does not pierce the fifteenth sphere—that of Limitless and
Eternal Life. Likewise, the descending pyramid of energy touches but does not pierce the first sphere—the grossest
condition of substance. The plane of the sun is denominated the sphere of equality, for here neither energy nor substance
predominate. The mundane monochord consists of a hypothetical string stretched from the base of the pyramid of energy
to the base of the pyramid of substance.

p. 82

described will not produce the various tones ascribed to them. In all probability, therefore,
Pythagoras actually worked out his theory of harmony from the monochord~a contrivance consisting
of a single string stretched between two pegs and supplied with movable frets.

To Pythagoras music was one of the dependencies of the divine science of mathematics, and its
harmonies were inflexibly controlled by mathematical proportions. The Pythagoreans averred that
mathematics demonstrated the exact method by which the good established and maintained its
universe. Number therefore preceded harmony, since it was the immutable law that governs all
harmonic proportions. After discovering these harmonic ratios, Pythagoras gradually initiated his
disciples into this, the supreme arcanum of his Mysteries. He divided the multitudinous parts of
creation into a vast number of planes or spheres, to each of which he assigned a tone, a harmonic
interval, a number, a name, a color, and a form. He then proceeded to prove the accuracy of his
deductions by demonstrating them upon the different planes of intelligence and substance ranging
from the most abstract logical premise to the most concrete geometrical solid. From the common
agreement of these diversified methods of proof he established the indisputable existence of certain
natural laws.

Having once established music as an exact science, Pythagoras applied his newly found law of
harmonic intervals to all the phenomena of Nature, even going so far as to demonstrate the harmonic
relationship of the planets, constellations, and elements to each other. A notable example of modern
corroboration of ancient philosophical reaching is that of the progression of the elements according to
harmonic ratios. While making a list of the elements in the ascending order of their atomic weights,
John A. Newlands discovered at every eighth element a distinct repetition of properties. This
discovery is known as the law of octaves in modern chemistry.

Since they held that harmony must be determined not by the sense perceptions but by reason and
mathematics, the Pythagoreans called themselves Canonics, as distinguished from musicians of the
Harmonic School, who asserted taste and instinct to be the true normative principles of harmony.
Recognizing, however, the profound effect: of music upon the senses and emotions, Pythagoras did
not hesitate to influence the mind and body with what he termed "musical medicine."

Pythagoras evinced such a marked preference for stringed instruments that he even went so far as to
warn his disciples against allowing their ears to be defiled by the sounds of flutes or cymbals. He
further declared that the soul could be purified from its irrational influences by solemn songs sung to
the accompaniment of the lyre. In his investigation of the therapeutic value of harmonics, Pythagoras
discovered that the seven modes—or keys—of the Greek system of music had the power to incite or
allay the various emotions. It is related that while observing the stars one night he encountered a
young man befuddled with strong drink and mad with jealousy who was piling faggots about his
mistress' door with the intention of burning the house. The frenzy of the youth was accentuated by a
flutist a short distance away who was playing a tune in the stirring Phrygian mode. Pythagoras
induced the musician to change his air to the slow, and rhythmic Spondaic mode, whereupon the
intoxicated youth immediately became composed and, gathering up his bundles of wood, returned
quietly to his own home.

There is also an account of how Empedocles, a disciple of Pythagoras, by quickly changing the mode
of a musical composition he was playing, saved the life of his host, Anchitus, when the latter was
threatened with death by the sword of one whose father he had condemned to public execution. It is
also known that Esculapius, the Greek physician, cured sciatica and other diseases of the nerves by
blowing a loud trumpet in the presence of the patient.

Pythagoras cured many ailments of the spirit, soul, and body by having certain specially prepared
musical compositions played in the presence of the sufferer or by personally reciting short selections
from such early poets as Hesiod and Homer. In his university at Crotona it was customary for the
Pythagoreans to open and to close each day with songs— those in the morning calculated to clear the
mind from sleep and inspire it to the activities of the coming day; those in the evening of a mode
soothing, relaxing, and conducive to rest. At the vernal equinox, Pjithagoras caused his disciples to

gather in a circle around one of their number who led them in song and played their accompaniment
upon a lyre.

The therapeutic music of Pythagoras is described by lamblichus thus: "And there are certain melodies
devised as remedies against the passions of the soul, and also against despondency and lamentation,
which Pythagoras invented as things that afford the greatest assistance in these maladies. And again,
he employed other melodies against rage and anger, and against every aberration of the soul. There is
also another kind of modulation invented as a remedy against desires." (See The Life of Pythagoras.)

It is probable that the Pythagoreans recognized a connection between the seven Greek modes and the
planets. As an example, Pliny declares that Saturn moves in the Dorian mode and Jupiter in the
Phrygian mode. It is also apparent that the temperaments are keyed to the various modes, and the
passions likewise. Thus, anger—which is a fiery passion— may be accentuated by a fiery mode or its
power neutralized by a watery mode.

The far-reaching effect exercised by music upon the culture of the Greeks is thus summed up by Emil
Nauman: "Plato depreciated the notion that music was intended solely to create cheerful and
agreeable emotions, maintaining rather that it should inculcate a love of all that is noble, and hatred
of all that is mean, and that nothing could more strongly influence man's innermost feelings than
melody and rhythm. Firmly convinced of this, he agreed with Damon of Athens, the musical
instructor of Socrates, that the introduction of a new and presumably enervating scale would
endanger the future of a whole nation, and that it was not possible to alter a key without shaking the
very foundations of the State. Plato affirmed that music which ennobled the mind was of a far higher
kind than that which merely appealed to the senses, and he strongly insisted that it was the
paramount duty of the Legislature to suppress all music of an effeminate and lascivious character,
and to encourage only s that which was pure and dignified; that bold and stirring melodies were for
men, gentle and soothing ones for women. From this it is evident that music played a considerable
part in the education of the Greek youth. The greatest care was also to be taken in the selection of
instrumental music, because the absence of words rendered its signification doubtful, and it was
difficult to foresee whether it would exercise upon the people a benign or baneful influence. Popular
taste, being always tickled by sensuous and meretricious effects, was to be treated with deserved
contempt. (See The History of Music.)

Even today martial music is used with telling effect in times of war, and religious music, while no
longer developed in accordance with the ancient theory, still profoundly influences the emotions of
the laity.

THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

The most sublime but least known of all the Pythagorean speculations was that of sidereal harmonics.
It was said that of all men only Pythagoras heard the music of the spheres. Apparently the Chaldeans
were the first people to conceive of the heavenly bodies joining in a cosmic chant as they moved in
stately manner across the sky. Job describes a time "when the stars of the morning sang together,"
and in The Merchant of Venice the author of the Shakesperian plays

THE MUNDANE MONOCHORD WITH ITS PROPORTIONS AND INTERVALS.

From Fludd's De Musica Mundana.

In this chart is set forth a summary of Fludd's theory of universal music. The interval between the element of earth and
the highest heaven is considered as a double octave, thus showing the two extremes of existence to be in disdiapason
harmony. It is signifies that the highest heaven, the sun, and the earth have the same time, the difference being in pitch.
The sun is the lower octave of the highest heaven and the earth the lower octave of the sun. The lower octave (T to G)
comprises that part of the universe in which substance predominate over energy. Its harmonies, therefore, are more gross
than those of the higher octave (G to g) wherein energy predominates over substance. "If struck in the more spiritual
part," writes Fludd, "the monochord will give eternal life; if in the more material part, transitory life." It will be noted that
certain elements, planets, and celestial spheres sustain a harmonic ratio to each other, Fludd advanced this as a key to the
sympathies and antipathies existing between the various departments of Nature.

p. 83

writes: "There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st but in his motion like an angel sings." So
little remains, however, of the Pythagorean system of celestial music that it is only possible to
approximate his actual theory.

Pythagoras conceived the universe to be an immense monochord, with its single string connected at
its upper end to absolute spirit and at its lower end to absolute matter—in other words, a cord

stretched between heaven and earth. Counting inward from the circumference of the heavens,
Pythagoras, according to some authorities, divided the universe into nine parts; according to others,
into twelve parts. The twelvefold system was as follows: The first division was called the empyrean, or
the sphere of the fixed stars, and was the dwelling place of the immortals. The second to twelfth
divisions were (in order) the spheres of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the sun, Venus, Mercury, and the moon,
and fire, air, water, and earth. This arrangement of the seven planets (the sun and moon being
regarded as planets in the old astronomy) is identical with the candlestick symbolism of the Jews—the
sun in the center as the main stem with three planets on either side of it.

The names given by the Pythagoreans to the various notes of the diatonic scale were, according to
Macrobius, derived from an estimation of the velocity and magnitude of the planetary bodies. Each of
these gigantic spheres as it rushed endlessly through space was believed to sound a certain tone
caused by its continuous displacement of the sethereal diffusion. As these tones were a manifestation
of divine order and motion, it must necessarily follow that they partook of the harmony of their own
source. "The assertion that the planets in their revolutions round the earth uttered certain sounds
differing according to their respective 'magnitude, celerity and local distance,' was commonly made
by the Greeks. Thus Saturn, the farthest planet, was said to give the gravest note, while the Moon,
which is the nearest, gave the sharpest. 'These sounds of the seven planets, and the sphere of the fixed
stars, together with that above us [Antichthon], are the nine Muses, and their joint symphony is
called Mnemosyne.'" (See The Canon.)This quotation contains an obscure reference to the ninefold
division of the universe previously mentioned.

The Greek initiates also recognized a fundamental relationship between the individual heavens or
spheres of the seven planets, and the seven sacred vowels. The first heaven uttered the sound of the
sacred vowel A (Alpha); the second heaven, the sacred vowel E (Epsilon); the third, H (Eta); the
fourth, I (Iota); the fifth, O (Omicron); the sixth, Y (Upsilon); and the seventh heaven, the sacred
vowel n (Omega). When these seven heavens sing together they produce a perfect harmony which
ascends as an everlasting praise to the throne of the Creator. (See Irenseus' Against Heresies.)
Although not so stated, it is probable that the planetary heavens are to be considered as ascending in
the Pythagorean order, beginning with the sphere of the moon, which would be the first heaven.

Many early instruments had seven Strings, and it is generally conceded that Pythagoras was the one
who added the eighth string to the lyre of Terpander. The seven strings were always related both to
their correspondences in the human body and to the planets. The names of God were also conceived
to be formed from combinations of the seven planetary harmonies. The Egyptians confined their
sacred songs to the seven primary sounds, forbidding any others to be uttered in their temples. One of
their hymns contained the following invocation: "The seven sounding tones praise Thee, the Great
God, the ceaseless working Father of the whole universe." In another the Deity describes Himself thus:
"I am the great indestructible lyre of the whole world, attuning the songs of the heavens. (See
Nauman's History of Music.)

The Pythagoreans believed that everything which existed had a voice and that all creatures were
eternally singing the praise of the Creator. Man fails to hear these divine melodies because his soul is
enmeshed in the illusion of material existence. When he liberates himself from the bondage of the
lower world with its sense limitations, the music of the spheres will again be audible as it was in the
Golden Age. Harmony recognizes harmony, and when the human soul regains its true estate it will
not only hear the celestial choir but also join with it in an everlasting anthem of praise to that Eternal
Good controlling the infinite number of parts and conditions of Being.

The Greek Mysteries included in their doctrines a magnificent concept of the relationship existing
between music and form. The elements of architecture, for example, were considered as comparable
to musical modes and notes, or as having a musical counterpart. Consequently when a building was
erected in which a number of these elements were combined, the structure was then likened to a

musical chord, which was harmonic only when it fully satisfied the mathematical requirements of
harmonic intervals. The realization of this analogy between sound and form led Goethe to declare that
"architecture is crystallized music."

In constructing their temples of initiation, the early priests frequently demonstrated their superior
knowledge of the principles underlying the phenomena known as vibration. A considerable part of the
Mystery rituals consisted of invocations and intonements, for which purpose special sound chambers
were constructed. A word whispered in one of these apartments was so intensified that the
reverberations made the entire building sway and be filled with a deafening roar. The very wood and
stone used in the erection of these sacred buildings eventually became so thoroughly permeated with
the sound vibrations of the religious ceremonies that when struck they would reproduce the same
tones thus repeatedly impressed into their substances by the rituals.

Every element in Nature has its individual keynote. If these elements are combined in a composite
structure the result is a chord that, if sounded, will disintegrate the compound into its integral parts.
Likewise each individual has a keynote that, if sounded, will destroy him. The allegory of the walls of
Jericho falling when the trumpets of Israel were sounded is undoubtedly intended to set forth the
arcane significance of individual keynote or vibration.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF COLOR

"Light," writes Edwin D. Babbitt, "reveals the glories of the external world and yet is the most glorious
of them all. It gives beauty, reveals beauty and is itself most beautiful. It is the analyzer, the truth-
teller and the exposer of shams, for it shows things as they are. Its infinite streams measure off the
universe and flow into our telescopes from stars which are quintillions of miles distant. On the other
hand it descends to objects inconceivably small, and reveals through the microscope objects fifty
millions of times less than can be seen by the naked eye. Like all other fine forces, its movement is
wonderfully soft, yet penetrating and powerful. Without its vivifying influence, vegetable, animal, and
human life must immediately perish from the earth, and general ruin take place. We shall do well,
then, to consider this potential and beautiful principle of light and its component colors, for the more
deeply we penetrate into its inner laws, the more will it present itself as a marvelous storehouse of
power to vitalize, heal, refine, and delight mankind." (See The Principles of Light and Color.)

Since light is the basic physical manifestation of life, bathing all creation in its radiance, it is highly
important to realize, in part at least, the subtle nature of this divine substance. That which is called
light is actually a rate of vibration causing certain reactions upon the optic nerve. Few realize how
they are walled in by the limitations

THE THEORY OF ELEMENTAL MUSIC.

From Fludd's De Musica Mundana.

In this diagram two interpenetrating pyramids are again employed, one of which represents fire and the other earth. It is
demonstrated according to the law of elemental harmony that fire does not enter into the composition of earth nor earth
into the composition of fire. The figures on the chart disclose the harmonic relationships existing between the four
primary elements according to both Fludd and the Pythagoreans. Earth consists of four parts of its own nature; water of
three parts of earth and one part of fire. The sphere of equality is a hypothetical point where there is an equilibrium of two
parts of earth and two parts of fire. Air is composed of three parts of fire and one part of earth; fire, of four parts of its own
nature. Thus earth and water bear to each other the ratio of 4 to 3, or the diatessaron harmony, and water and the sphere
of equality the ratio of 3 to 2, or the diapente harmony. Fire and air also bear to each other the ratio of 4 to 3, or the
diatessaron harmony, and air and the sphere of equality the ratio of 3 to 2, or the diapente harmony. As the sum of a
diatessaron and a diapente equals a diapason, or octave, it is evident that both the sphere of fire and the sphere of earth
are in diapason harmony with the sphere of equality, and also that fire and earth are in disdiapason harmony with each
other.

p. 84

of the sense perceptions. Not only is there a great deal more to light than anyone has ever seen but
there are also unknown forms of light which no optical equipment will ever register. There are
unnumbered colors which cannot be seen, as well as sounds which cannot be heard, odors which
cannot be smelt, flavors which cannot be tasted, and substances which cannot be felt. Man is thus

surrounded by a supersensible universe of which he knows nothing because the centers of sense
perception within himself have not been developed sufficiently to respond to the subtler rates of
vibration of which that universe is composed.

Among both civilized and savage peoples color has been accepted as a natural language in which to
couch their religious and philosophical doctrines. The ancient city of Ecbatana as described by
Herodotus, its seven walls colored according to the seven planets, revealed the knowledge of this
subject possessed by the Persian Magi. The famous zikkurat or astronomical tower of the god Nebo at
Borsippa ascended in seven great steps or stages, each step being painted in the key color of one of
the planetary bodies. (See Lenormant's Chaldean Magic.) It is thus evident that the Babylonians were
familiar with the concept of the spectrum in its relation to the seven Creative Gods or Powers. In
India, one of the Mogul emperors caused a fountain to be made with seven levels. The water pouring
down the sides through specially arranged channels changed color as it descended, passing
sequentially through all shades of the spectrum. In Tibet, color is employed by the native artists to
express various moods. L. Austine Waddell, writing of Northern Buddhist art, notes that in Tibetan
mythology "White and yellow complexions usually typify mild moods, while the red, blue, and black
belong to fierce forms, though sometimes light blue, as indicating the sky, means merely celestial.
Generally the gods are pictured white, goblins red, and devils black, like their European relative." (See
The Buddhism of Tibet)

In Meno, Plato, speaking through Socrates, describes color as "an effluence of form, commensurate
with sight, and sensible." In Thesetetus he discourses more at length on the subject thus: "Let us carry
out the principle which has just been affirmed, that nothing is self-existent, and then we shall see that
every color, white, black, and every other color, arises out of the eye meeting the appropriate motion,
and that what we term the substance of each color is neither the active nor the passive element, but
something which passes between them, and is peculiar to each percipient; are you certain that the
several colors appear to every animal—say a dog~as they appear to you?"

In the Pythagorean fefracfys—the supreme symbol of universal forces and processes—are set forth the
theories of the Greeks concerning color and music. The first three dots represent the threefold White
Light, which is the Godhead containing potentially all sound and color. The remaining seven dots are
the colors of the spectrum and the notes of the musical scale. The colors and tones are the active
creative powers which, emanating from the First Cause, establish the universe. The seven are divided
into two groups, one containing three powers and the other four a relationship also shown in the
tetractys. The higher group— that of three— becomes the spiritual nature of the created universe; the
lower group— that of four— manifests as the irrational sphere, or inferior world.

In the Mysteries the seven Logi, or Creative Lords, are shown as streams of force issuing from the
mouth of the Eternal One. This signifies the spectrum being extracted from the white light of the
Supreme Deity. The seven Creators, or Fabricators, of the inferior spheres were called by the Jews the
Elohim. By the Egyptians they were referred to as the Builders (sometimes as the Governors) and are
depicted with great knives in their hands with which they carved the universe from its primordial
substance. Worship of the planets is based upon their acceptation as the cosmic embodiments of the
seven creative attributes of God. The Lords of the planets were described as dwelling within the body
of the sun, for the true nature of the sun, being analogous to the white light, contains the seeds of all
the tone and color potencies which it manifests.

There are numerous arbitrary arrangements setting forth the mutual relationships of the planets, the
colors, and the musical notes. The most satisfactory system is that based upon the law of the octave.
The sense of hearing has a much wider scope than that of sight, for whereas the ear can register from
nine to eleven octaves of sound the eye is restricted to the cognition of but seven fundamental color
tones, or one tone short of the octave. Red, when posited as the lowest color tone in the scale of
chromatics, thus corresponds to do, the first note of the musical scale. Continuing the analogy, orange

corresponds to re, yellow to mi, green to fa, blue to sol, indigo to la, and violet to si {ti). The eighth
color tone necessary to complete the scale should be the higher octave of red, the first color tone. The
accuracy of the above arrangement is attested by two striking facts: (i) the three fundamental notes of
the musical scale—the first, the third, and the fifth—correspond with the three primary colors— red,
yellow, and blue; (2) the seventh, and least perfect, note of the musical scale corresponds with purple,
the least perfect tone of the color scale.

In The Principles of Light and Color, Edwin D. Babbitt confirms the correspondence of the color and
musical scales: "As C is at the bottom of the musical scale and made with the coarsest waves of air, so
is red at the bottom of the chromatic scale and made with the coarsest waves of luminous ether. As
the musical note B [the seventh note of the scale] requires 45 vibrations of air every time the note C at
the lower end of the scale requires 24, or but little over half as many, so does extreme violet require
about 300 trillions of vibrations of ether in a second, while extreme red requires only about 450
trillions, which also are but little more than half as many. When one musical octave is finished
another one commences and progresses with just twice as many vibrations as were used in the first
octave, and so the same notes are repeated on a finer scale. In the same way when the scale of colors
visible to the ordinary eye is completed in the violet, another octave of finer invisible colors, with just
twice as many vibrations, will commence and progress on precisely the same law."

When the colors are related to the twelve signs of the zodiac, they are arranged as the spokes of a
wheel. To Aries is assigned pure red; to Taurus, red-orange; to Gemini, pure orange; to Cancer,
orange-yellow; to Leo, pure yellow; to Virgo, yellow-green; to Libra, pure green; to Scorpio, green-
blue; to Sagittarius, pure blue; to Capricorn, blue-violet; to Aquarius, pure violet; and to Pisces,
violet-red.

In expounding the Eastern system of esoteric philosophy, H. P, Blavatsky relates the colors to the
septenary constitution of man and the seven states of matter as follows:

This arrangement of the colors of the spectrum and the musical notes of the octave necessitates a
different grouping of the planets in order to preserve their proper tone and color analogies. Thus do
becomes Mars; re, the sun; mi. Mercury; /a, Saturn; sol, Jupiter; la, Venus; si (ti) the moon. (See The
E. S. Instructions.)

COLOR

Violet

Indigo

PRINCIPLES OF MAN STATES OF MATTER

Chaya, or Etheric Double Ether
Higher Manas, or Spiritual Intelligence Critical State called Air

Auric Envelope Steam or Vapor

Lower Manas, or Animal Soul Critical State

Buddhi, or Spiritual Soul Water

Prana, or Life Principle Critical State

Kama Rupa, or Seat of Animal Life Ice

Blue
Green

Yellow

Orange

Red

THE FOUR ELEMENTS AND THEIR CONSONANTAL INTERVALS.

From Fludd's De Musica Mundana.

In this diagram Fludd has divided each of the four Primary elements into three subdivisions. The first division of each
element is the grossest, partaking somewhat of the substance directly inferior to itself (except in the case of the earth,
which has no state inferior to itself). The second division consists of the element in its relatively pure state, while the third
division is that condition wherein the element partakes somewhat of the substance immediately superior to itself. For
example the lowest division of the element of water is sedimentary, as it contains earth substance in solution; the second
division represents water in its most common state~salty~as in the case of the ocean; and the third division is water in its
purest state—free from salt. The harmonic interval assigned to the lowest division of each element is one tone, to the
central division also a tone, but to the higher division a half-tone because it partakes of the division immediately above it.
Fludd emphasizes the fact that as the elements ascend in series of two and a half tones, the diatessaron is the dominating
harmonic interval of the elements.

p. 85

Fishes, Insects, Animals, Reptiles and

Birds

Part One

THE creatures inhabiting the water, air, and earth were held in veneration by all races of antiquity.
Realizing that visible bodies are only symbols of invisible forces, the ancients worshiped the Divine
Power through the lower kingdoms of Nature, because those less evolved and more simply
constituted creatures responded most readily to the creative impulses of the gods. The sages of old
studied living things to a point of realization that God is most perfectly understood through a
knowledge of His supreme handiwork—animate and inanimate Nature.

Every existing creature manifests some aspect of the intelligence or power of the Eternal One, who
can never be known save through a study and appreciation of His numbered but inconceivable parts.
When a creature is chosen, therefore, to symbolize to the concrete human mind some concealed
abstract principle it is because its characteristics demonstrate this invisible principle in visible action.
Fishes, insects, animals, reptiles, and birds appear in the religious symbolism of nearly all nations,
because the forms and habits of these creatures and the media in which they exist closely relate them
to the various generative and germinative powers of Nature, which were considered as prima-facie
evidence of divine omnipresence.

The early philosophers and scientists, realizing that all life has its origin in water, chose the fish as the
symbol of the life germ. The fact that fishes are most prolific makes the simile still more apt. While
the early priests may not have possessed the instruments necessary to analyze the spermatozoon, they
concluded by deduction that it resembled a fish.

Fishes were sacred to the Greeks and Romans, being connected with the worship of Aphrodite
(Venus). An interesting survival of pagan ritualism is found in the custom of eating fish on Friday.
Freya, in whose honor the day was named, was the Scandinavian Venus, and this day was sacred
among many nations to the goddess of beauty and fecundity. This analogy further links the fish with
the procreative mystery. Friday is also sacred to the followers of the Prophet Mohammed.

The word nun means both fish and growth, and as Inman says: "The Jews were led to victory by the
Son of the Fish whose other names were Joshua and Jesus (the Savior). Nun is still the name of a
female devotee" of the Christian faith. Among early Christians three fishes were used to symbolize the
Trinity, and the fish is also one of the eight sacred symbols of the great Buddha. It is also significant
that the dolphin should be sacred to both Apollo (the Solar Savior) and Neptune. It was believed that
this fish carried shipwrecked sailors to heaven on its back. The dolphin was accepted by the early
Christians as an emblem of Christ, because the pagans had viewed this beautiful creature as a friend
and benefactor of man. The heir to the throne of France, the Dauphin, may have secured his title from
this ancient pagan symbol of the divine preservative power. The first advocates of Christianity likened
converts to fishes, who at the time of baptism "returned again into the sea of Christ."

Primitive peoples believed the sea and land were inhabited by strange creatures, and early books on
zoology contain curious illustrations of composite beasts, reptiles, and fishes, which did not exist at
the time the mediaeval authors compiled these voluminous books. In the ancient initiatory rituals of
the Persian, Greek, and Egyptian Mysteries the priests disguised themselves as composite creatures,
thereby symbolizing different aspects of human consciousness. They used birds and reptiles as
emblems of their various deities, often creating forms of grotesque appearance and assigning to them

imaginary traits, habits, and places of domicile, all of which were symbolic of certain spiritual and
transcendental truths thus concealed from the profane. The phoenix made its nest of incense and
flames. The unicorn had the body of a horse, the feet of an elephant, and the tail of a wild boar. The
upper half of the centaur's body was human and the lower half equine. The pelican of the Hermetists
fed its young from its own breast, and to this bird were assigned other mysterious attributes which
could have been true only allegorically.

Though regarded by many writers of the Middle Ages as actual living creatures, none of these—the
pelican excepted—ever existed outside the symbolism of the Mysteries. Possibly they originated in
rumors of animals then little known. In the temple, however, they became a reality, for there they
signified the manifold characteristics of man's nature. The mantichora had certain points in common
with the hyena; the unicorn may have been the single-horned rhinoceros. To the student of the secret
wisdom these composite animals, and birds simply represent various forces working in the invisible
worlds. This is a point which nearly all writers on the subject of medieval monsters seem to have
overlooked. (See Vlyssis Aldrovandi's Monstrorum Historia, 1642, and Physica Curiosa, by P.
Gaspare Schotto, 1697.)

There are also legends to the effect that long before the appearance of human beings there existed a
race or species of composite creatures which was destroyed by the gods. The temples of antiquity
preserved their own historical records and possessed information concerning the prehistoric world
that has never been revealed to the uninitiated. According to these records, the human race evolved
from a species of creature that partook somewhat of the nature of an amphibian, for at that time
primitive man had the gills of a fish and was partly covered with scales. To a limited degree, the
human embryo demonstrates the possibility of such a condition. As a result of the theory of man's
origin in water, the fish was looked upon as the progenitor of the human family. This gave rise to the
ichthyolatry of the Chaldeans, Phoenicians, and Brahmins. The American Indians believe that the
waters of lakes, rivers, and oceans are inhabited by a mysterious people, the "Water Indians."

The fish has been used as an emblem of damnation; but among the Chinese it typified contentment
and good fortune, and fishes appear on many of their coins. When Typhon, or Set, the Egyptian evil
genius, had divided the body of the god Osiris into fourteen parts, he cast one part into the river Nile,
where, according to Plutarch, it was devoured by three fishes— the lepidotus (probably the
lepidosiren), the phagrus, and the oxyrynchus (a form of pike). For this reason the Egyptians would
not eat the flesh of these fishes, believing that to do so would be to devour the body of their god.
When used as a symbol of evil, the fish represented the earth (man's lower nature) and the tomb (the
sepulcher of the Mysteries). Thus was Jonah three days in the belly of the "great fish," as Christ was
three days in the tomb.

Several early church fathers believed that the "whale" which swallowed Jonah was the symbol of God
the Father, who, when the hapless prophet was thrown overboard, accepted Jonah into His own
nature until a place of safety was reached. The story of Jonah is really a legend of initiation into the
Mysteries, and the "great fish" represents the darkness of ignorance which engulfs man when he is
thrown over the side of the ship (is born) into the sea (life). The custom of building ships in the form
of fishes or birds, common in ancient times, could give rise to the story, and mayhap Jonah was
merely picked up by

THE FIRST INCARNATION, OR MATSYA AVATAR, OF VISHNU.

From Picart's Religious Ceremonials.

The fish has often been associated with the World Saviors. Vishnu, the Hindu Redeemer, who takes upon himself ten
forms for the redemption of the universe, was expelled from the mouth of a fish in his first incarnation. Isis, while nursing
the infant Horus, is often shown with a fish on her headdress. Oannes, the Chaldean Savior (borrowed from the
Brahmins), is depicted with the head and body of a fish, from which his human form protrudes at various points. Jesus
was often symbolized by a fish. He told His disciples that they should became "fishers of men." The sign of the fish was
also the first monogram of the Christians. The mysterious Greek name of Jesus, IX0Y2, means "a fish." The fish was
accepted as a symbol of the Christ by a number of early canonized church fathers. St. Augustine likened the Christ to a fish
that had been broiled, and it was also pointed out that the flesh of that Fish was the food of righteous and holy men.

p. 86

another vessel and carried into port, the pattern of the ship causing it to be called a "great fish."
CVeritatis simplex oratio est!") More probably the "whale" of Jonah is based upon the pagan
mythological creature, hippocampus, part horse and part dolphin, for the early Christian statues and
carvings show the composite creature and not a true whale.

It is reasonable to suppose that the mysterious sea serpents, which, according to the Mayan and
Toltec legends, brought the gods to Mexico were Viking or Chaldean ships, built in the shape of
composite sea monsters or dragons. H. P. Blavatsky advances the theory that the word cetus, the great
whale, is derived from keto, a name for the fish god, Dagon, and that Jonah was actually confined in a
cell hollowed out in the body of a gigantic statue of Dagon after he had been captured by Phoenician
sailors and carried to one of their cities. There is no doubt a great mystery in the gigantic form of
cetus, which is still preserved as a constellation.

According to many scattered fragments extant, man's lower nature was symbolized by a tremendous,
awkward creature resembling a great sea serpent, or dragon, called leviathan. All symbols having
serpentine form or motion signify the solar energy in one of its many forms. This great creature of the
sea therefore represents the solar life force imprisoned in water and also the divine energy coursing
through the body of man, where, until transmuted, it manifests itself as a writhing, twisting monster—
-man's greeds, passions, and lusts. Among the symbols of Christ as the Savior of men are a number
relating to the mystery of His divine nature concealed within the personality of the lowly Jesus.

The Gnostics divided the nature of the Christian Redeemer into two parts—the one Jesus, a mortal
man; the other, Christos, a personification of Nous, the principle of Cosmic Mind. Nous, the greater,
was for the period of three years (from baptism to crucifixion) using the fleshly garment of the mortal
man (Jesus). In order to illustrate this point and still conceal it from the ignorant, many strange, and
often repulsive, creatures were used whose rough exteriors concealed magnificent organisms. Kenealy,
in his notes on the Book of Enoch, observes: "Why the caterpillar was a symbol of the Messiah is
evident; because, under a lowly, creeping, and wholly terrestrial aspect, he conceals the beautiful
butterfly-form, with its radiant wings, emulating in its varied colors the Rainbow, the Serpent, the
Salmon, the Scarab, the Peacock, and the dying Dolphin * * *.

INSECTS

In 1609 Henry Khunrath'sAmp/iif/ieaf rum Sapientise ^ternae was published. Eliphas Levi declared
that within its pages are concealed all the great secrets of magical philosophy. A remarkable plate in
this work shows the Hermetic sciences being attacked by the bigoted and ignorant pedagogues of the
seventeenth century. In order to express his complete contempt for his slanderers, Khunrath made
out of each a composite beast, adding donkey ears to one and a false tail to another. He reserved the
upper part of the picture for certain petty backbiters whom he gave appropriate forms. The air was
filled with strange creatures—great dragon flies, winged frogs, birds with human heads, and other
weird forms which defy description— heaping venom, gossip, spite, slander, and other forms of
persecution upon the secret arcanum of the wise. The drawing indicated that their attacks were
ineffectual. Poisonous insects were often used to symbolize the deadly power of the human tongue.

Insects of all kinds were also considered emblematic of the Nature spirits and dsemons, for both were
believed to inhabit the atmosphere. Mediaeval drawings showing magicians in the act of invoking
spirits, often portray the mysterious powers of the other world, which the conjurer has exorcised, as
appearing to him in composite part-insect forms. The early philosophers apparently held the opinion
that the disease which swept through communities in the form of plagues were actually living
creatures, but instead of considering a number of tiny germs they viewed the entire plague as one
individuality and gave it a hideous shape to symbolize its destructiveness. The fact that plagues came
in the air caused an insect or a bird to be used as their symbol.

Beautiful symmetrical forms were assigned to all natural benevolent conditions or powers, but to
unnatural or malevolent powers were assigned contorted and abnormal figures. The Evil One was
either hideously deformed or else of the nature of certain despised animals. A popular superstition
during the Middle Ages held that the Devil had the feet of a rooster, while the Egyptians assigned to
Typhon (Devil) the body of a hog.

The habits of the insects were carefully studied. Therefore the ant was looked upon as emblematic of
industry and foresight, as it stored up supplies for the winter and also had strength to move objects
many times its own weight. The locusts which swept down in clouds, and in some parts of Africa and
Asia obscured the sun and destroyed every green thing, were considered fit emblems of passion,
disease, hate, and strife; for these emotions destroy all that is good in the soul of man and leave a
barren desert behind them. In the folklore of various nations, certain insects are given special
significance, but the ones which have received world-wide veneration and consideration ate the

scarab, the king of the insect kingdom; the scorpion, the great betrayer; the butterfly, the emblem of
metamorphosis; and the bee, the symbol of industry.

The Egyptian scarab is one of the most remarkable symbolic figures ever conceived by the mind of
man. It was evolved by the erudition of the priestcraft from a simple insect which, because of its
peculiar habits and appearance, properly symbolized the strength of the body, the resurrection of the
soul, and the Eternal and Incomprehensible Creator in His aspect as Lord of the Sun. E. A. Wallis
Budge says, in effect, of the worship of the scarab by the Egyptians:

"Yet another view held in primitive times was that the sky was a vast meadow over which a huge
beetle crawled, pushing the disk of the sun before him. This beetle was the Sky-god, and, arguing
from the example of the beetle (Scarabaeus sacer), which was observed to roll along with its hind legs
a ball that was believed to contain its eggs, the early Egyptians thought that the ball of the Sky-god
contained his egg and that the sun was his offspring. Thanks, however, to the investigations of the
eminent entomologist, Monsieur J. H. Fabre, we now know that the ball which the Scarahseus sacer
rolls along contains not its eggs, but dung that is to serve as food for its egg, which it lays in a carefully
prepared place."

Initiates of the Egyptian Mysteries were sometimes called scarabs; again, lions and panthers. The
scarab was the emissary of the sun, symbolizing light, truth, and regeneration. Stone scarabs, called
heart scarabs, about three inches long, were placed in the heart cavity of the dead when that organ
was removed to be embalmed separately as part of the process of mummifying. Some maintain that
the stone beetles were merely wrapped in the winding cloths at the time of preparing the body for
eternal preservation. The following passage concerning this appears in the great Egyptian book of
initiation. The Book of the Dead: "And behold, thou shalt make a scarab of green stone, which shalt be
placed in the breast of a man, and it shall perform for him, 'the opening of the mouth.'" The funeral
rites of many nations bear a striking resemblance to the initiatory ceremonies of their Mysteries.

Ra, the god of the sun, had three important aspects. As the Creator of the universe he was symbolized
by the head of a scarab and was called Khepera, which signified the resurrection of the soul and a new
life at the end of the mortal span. The mummy cases of the Egyptian dead were nearly always
ornamented with scarabs. Usually one of these beetles, with outspread wings, was painted on the
mummy case directly over the breast of the dead. The finding of such great numbers of small stone
scarabs indicates that they were a favorite article of adornment among the Egyptians. Because of its
relationship to the sun, the scarab symbolized the divine part of man's nature. The fact that its
beautiful wings were concealed under its glossy shell typified the winged soul of man hidden within
its earthly sheath. The Egyptian soldiers were given the scarab as their special symbol because the
ancients believed that these creatures were all of the male sex and consequently appropriate emblems
of virility, strength, and courage.

Plutarch noted the fact that the scarab rolled its peculiar ball of dung backwards, while the insect
itself faced the opposite direction. This made it an especially fitting symbol for the sun, because this
orb (according to Egyptian astronomy) was rolling from west to east, although apparently moving in
the opposite direction. An Egyptian allegory states that the sunrise is caused by the scarab unfolding

THE MANTICHORA.

From Redgrave's Bygone Beliefs.

The most remarkable of allegorical creatures was the mantichora, which Ctesias describes as having aflame-colored body,
lionlike in shape, three rows of teeth, a human head and ears, blue eyes, a tail ending in a series of spikes and stings,
thorny and scorpionlike, and a voice which sounded like the blare of trumpets. This sjmthetic quadruped ambled into
mediaeval works on natural history, but, though seriously considered, had never been seen, because it inhabited
inaccessible regions and consequently was difficult to locate.

The flat under side of a scarab usually bears an inscription relating to the dynasty during which it was cut. These scarabs
were sometimes used as seals. Some were cut from ordinary or precious stones; others were made of clay, baked and
glazed. Occasionally the stone scarabs were also glazed. The majority of the small scarabs are pierced as though originally
used as beads. Some are so hard that they will cut glass. In the picture above, A shows top and side views of the scarab,
and B and B the under surface with the name of Men-ka-Ra within the central cartouche.

its wings, which stretch out as glorious colors on each side of its body—the solar globe—and that when
it folds its wings under its dark shell at sunset, night follows. Khepera, the scarab-headed aspect of
Ra, is often symbolized riding through the sea of the sky in a wonderful ship called the Boat of the
Sun.

The scorpion is the sjmibol of both wisdom and self-destruction. It was called by the Egyptians the
creature accursed; the time of year when the sun entered the sign of Scorpio marked the beginning of
the rulership of Typhon. When the twelve signs of the zodiac were used to represent the twelve
Apostles (although the reverse is true), the scorpion was assigned to Judas Iscariot— the betrayer.

The scorpion stings with its tail, and for this reason it has been called a backbiter, a false and deceitful
thing. Calmet, in his Dictionary of the Bible, declares the scorpion to be a fit emblem of the wicked
and the symbol of persecution. The dry winds of Egypt are said to be produced by Typhon, who
imparts to the sand the blistering heat of the infernal world and the sting of the scorpion. This insect

ROYAL EGYPTIAN SCARAB.

From Hall's Catalogue of Egyptian Scarabs, Etc., in the British Museum.

p. 87

was also the symbol of the spinal fire which, according to the Egyptian Mysteries, destroyed man
when it was permitted to gather at the base of his spine (the tail of the scorpion). The red star Antares
in the back of the celestial scorpion was considered the worst light in the heavens. Kalb alAkrab, or
the heart of the scorpion, was called by the ancients the lieutenant or deputy of Mars. (See footnote to
Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos.) Antares was believed to impair the eyesight, often causing blindness if it rose
over the horizon when a child was born. This may refer again to the sand storm, which was capable of
blinding unwary travelers.

The scorpion was also the symbol of wisdom, for the fire which it controlled was capable of
illuminating as well as consuming. Initiation into the Greater Mysteries among the pagans was said to
take place only in the sign of the scorpion. In the papyrus of Ani (The Book of the Dead), the deceased
likens his soul to a scorpion, saying: "I am a swallow, I am that scorpion, the daughter of Ra!"
Elizabeth Goldsmith, in her treatise on Sex Symbolism, states that the scorpions were a "symbol of
Selk, the Egyptian goddess of writing, and also [were] revered by the Babylonians and Assyrians as
guardians of the gateway of the sun. Seven scorpions were said to have accompanied Isis when she
searched for the remains of Osiris scattered by Set" (Typhon).

In his Chaldean Account of the Genesis, George Smith, copying from the cuneiform cylinders, in
describing the wanderings of the hero Izdubar (Nimrod), throws some light on the scorpion god who
guards the sun. The tablet which he translated is not perfect, but the meaning is fairly clear: "* * *
who each day guard the rising sun. Their crown was at the lattice of heaven, under hell their feet were
placed [the spinal column]. The scorpion man guarded the gate, burning with terribleness, their
appearance was like death, the might of his fear shook the forest. At the rising of the sun and the
setting of the sun, they guarded the sun; Izdubar saw them and fear and terror came into his face."
Among the early Latins there was a machine of war called the scorpion. It was used for firing arrows
and probably obtained its name from a long beam, resembling a scorpion's tail, which flew up to hurl
the arrows. The missiles discharged by this machine were also called scorpions.

The butterfly (under the name of Psyche, a beautiful maiden with wings of opalescent light)
symbolizes the human soul because of the stages it passes through in order to unfold its power of
flight. The three divisions through which the butterfly passes in its unfoldment resemble closely the
three degrees of the Mystery School, which degrees are regarded as consummating the unfoldment of
man by giving him emblematic wings by which he may soar to the skies. Unregenerate man, ignorant
and helpless, is symbolized by the stage between ovum and larva; the disciple, seeking truth and
dwelling in medication, by the second stage, from larva to pupa, at which time the insect enters its
chrysalis (the tomb of the Mysteries); the third stage, from pupa to imago (wherein the perfect
butterfly comes forth), typifies the unfolded enlightened soul of the initiate rising from the tomb of
his baser nature.

Night moths typify the secret wisdom, because they are hard to discover and are concealed by the
darkness (ignorance). Some are emblems of death, asAcherontia atropos, the death's-head moth,
which has a marking on its body somewhat like a human skull. The death-watch beetle, which was
believed to give warning of approaching death by a peculiar ticking sound, is another instance of
insects involved in human affairs.

Opinions differ concerning the spider. Its shape makes it an appropriate emblem of the nerve plexus
and ganglia of the human body. Some Europeans consider it extremely bad luck to kill a spider-
possibly because it is looked upon as an emissary of the Evil One, whom no person desires to offend.
There is a mystery concerning all poisonous creatures, especially insects. Paracelsus taught that the
spider was the medium for a powerful but evil force which the Black Magicians used in their nefarious
undertakings.

Certain plants, minerals, and animals have been sacred among all the nations of the earth because of
their peculiar sensitiveness to the astral fire~a mysterious agency in Nature which the scientific world
has contacted through its manifestations as electricity and magnetism. Lodestone and radium in the
mineral world and various parasitic growths in the plant kingdom are strangely susceptible to this
cosmic electric fire, or universal life force. The magicians of the Middle Ages surrounded themselves
with such creatures as bats, spiders, cats, snakes, and monkeys, because they were able to appropriate
the life forces of these species and use them to the attainment of their own ends. Some ancient
schools of wisdom taught that all poisonous insects and reptiles are germinated out of the evil nature
of man, and that when intelligent human beings no longer breed hate in their own souls there will be
no more ferocious animals, loathsome diseases, or poisonous plants and insects.

Among the American Indians is the legend of a "Spider Man," whose web connected the heaven
worlds with the earth. The secret schools of India symbolize certain of the gods who labored with the
universe during its making as connecting the realms of light with those of darkness by means of webs.
Therefore the builders of the cosmic system who held the embryonic universe together with threads of
invisible force were sometimes referred to as the Spider Gods and their ruler was designated The
Great Spider.

The beehive is found in Masonry as a reminder that in diligence and labor for a common good true
happiness and prosperity are found. The bee is a symbol of wisdom, for as this tiny insect collects
pollen from the flowers, so men may extract wisdom from the experiences of daily life. The bee is
sacred to the goddess Venus and, according to mystics, it is one of several forms of life which came to
the earth from the planet Venus millions of years ago. Wheat and bananas are said to be of similar
origin. This is the reason why the origin of these three forms of life cannot be traced. The fact that
bees are ruled by queens is one reason why this insect is considered a sacred feminine symbol.

In India the god Prana~the personification of the universal life force—is sometimes shown
surrounded by a circle of bees. Because of its importance in poUenizing flowers, the bee is the
accepted symbol of the generative power. At one time the bee was the emblem of the French kings.
The rulers of France wore robes embroidered with bees, and the canopies of their thrones were
decorated with gigantic figures of these insects.

The fly symbolizes the tormentor, because of the annoyance it causes to animals. The Chaldean god
Baal was often called Baal-Zebul, or the god of the dwelling place. The word zebub, or zabab, means a
fly, and Baal-Zebul became Baalzebub, or Beelzebub, a word which was loosely translated to mean
Jupiter's fly. The fly was looked upon as a form of the divine power, because of its ability to destroy
decaying substances and thus promote health. The fly may have obtained its name Zebub from its
peculiar buzzing or humming. Inman believes that Baalzebub, which the Jews ridiculed as My Lord of
Flies, really means My Lord Who Hums or Murmurs.

Inman recalls the singing Memnon on the Egyptian desert, a tremendous figure with an ^Eolian harp
on the top of its head. When the wind blows strongly this great Statue sighs, or hums. The Jews
changed Baalzebub into Beelzebub, and made him their prince of devils by interpreting dsemon as
"demon." Naudseus, in defending Virgil from accusations of sorcery, attempted a wholesale denial of
the miracles supposedly performed by Virgil and produced enough evidence to convict the poet on all
counts. Among other strange fears, Virgil fashioned a fly out of brass, and after certain mysterious
ceremonies, placed it over one of the gates of Naples. As a result, no flies entered the city for more
than eight years.

REPTILES

The serpent was chosen as the head of the reptilian family. Serpent worship in some form has
permeated nearly all parts of the

THE FLEUR-DE-LIS.

The bee was used as, a symbol of royalty by the immortal Charlemagne, and it is probable that the fleur-de-lis, or lily of
France, is merely a conventionalized bee and not a flower. There is an ancient Greek legend to the effect that the nine
Muses occasionally assumed the form of bees.

THE SCORPION TALISMAN.

From Paracelsus' Archidoxes Magica.

The scorpion often appears upon the talismans and charms of the Middle Ages. This hieroglyphic Arac/inida was
supposed to have the power of curing disease. The scorpion shown above was composed of several metals, and was made
under certain planetary configurations. Paracelsus advised that it be worn by those suffering from any derangement of the
reproductive system.

p. 88

earth. The serpent mounds of the American Indian; the carved-stone snakes of Central and South
America; the hooded cobras of India; Python, the great snake o the Greeks; the sacred serpents of the
Druids; the Midgard snake of Scandinavia; the Nagas of Burma, Siam, and Cambodia; the brazen
serpent of the Jews; the mystic serpent of Orpheus; the snakes at the oracle; of Delphi twining
themselves around the tripod upon which the Pythian priestess sat, the tripod itself being in the form
of twisted serpents; the sacred serpents preserved in the Egyptian temples; the Urseus coiled upon the
foreheads of the Pharaohs and priests; —all these bear witness to the universal veneration in which the
snake was held. In the ancient Mysteries the serpent entwining a staff was the symbol of the physician.

The serpent-wound staff of Hermes remains the emblem of the medical profession. Among nearly all

these ancient peoples the serpent was accepted as the symbol of wisdom or salvation. The antipathy
which Christendom feels towards the snake is based upon the little-understood allegory of the Garden
of Eden.

The serpent is true to the principle of wisdom, for it tempts man to the knowledge of himself.
Therefore the knowledge of self resulted from man's disobedience to the Demiurgus, Jehovah. How
the serpent came to be in the garden of the Lord after God had declared that all creatures which He
had made during the six days of creation were good has not been satisfactorily answered by the
interpreters of Scripture. The tree that grows in the midst of the garden is the spinal fire; the
knowledge of the use of that spinal fire is the gift of the great serpent. Notwithstanding statements to
the contrary, the serpent is the symbol and prototype of the Universal Savior, who redeems the
worlds by giving creation the knowledge of itself and the realization of good and evil. If this be not so,
why did Moses raise a brazen serpent upon a cross in the wilderness that all who looked upon it might
be saved from the sting of the lesser snakes? Was not the brazen serpent a prophecy of the crucified
Man to come? If the serpent be only a thing of evil, why did Christ instruct His disciples to be as wise
as serpents?

The accepted theory that the serpent is evil cannot be substantiated. It has long been viewed as the
emblem of immortality. It is the symbol of reincarnation, or metempsychosis, because it annually
sheds its skin, reappearing, as it were, in a new body. There is an ancient superstition to the effect
that snakes never die except by violence and that, if uninjured, they would live forever. It was also
believed that snakes swallowed themselves, and this resulted in their being considered emblematic of
the Supreme Creator, who periodically reabsorbed His universe back into Himself.

In Isis Unveiled, H. P. Blavatsky makes this significant statement concerning the origin of serpent
worship: "Before our globe had become egg-shaped or round it was a long trail of cosmic dust or fire-
mist, moving and writhing like a serpent. This, say the explanations, was the Spirit of God moving on
the chaos until its breath had incubated cosmic matter and made it assume the annular shape of a
serpent with its tail in its month—emblem of eternity in its spiritual and of our world in its physical
sense."

The seven-headed snake represents the Supreme Deity manifesting through His Elohim, or Seven
Spirits, by whose aid He established His universe. The coils of the snake have been used by the
pagans to symbolize the motion and also the orbits of the celestial bodies, and it is probable that the
symbol of the serpent twisted around the egg— which was common to many of the ancient Mystery
schools—represented both the apparent motion of the sun around the earth, and the bands of astral
light, or the great magical agent, which move about the planet incessantly.

Electricity was commonly symbolized by the serpent because of its motion. Electricity passing
between the poles of a spark gap is serpentine in its motion. Force projected through atmosphere was
called The Great Snake. Being symbolic of universal force, the serpent was emblematic of both good
and evil. Force can tear down as rapidly as it can build up. The serpent with its tail in its mouth is the
symbol of eternity, for in this position the body of the reptile has neither beginning nor end. The head
and tail represent the positive and negative poles of the cosmic life circuit. The initiates of the
Mysteries were often referred to as serpents, and their wisdom was considered analogous to the
divinely inspired power of the snake. There is no doubt that the title "Winged Serpents" (the
Seraphim?) was given to one of the invisible hierarchies that labored with the earth during its early
formation.

There is a legend that in the beginning of the world winged serpents reigned upon the earth. These

were probably the demigods which antedate the historical civilization of every nation. The symbolic
relationship between the sun and the serpent found literal witness in the fact that life remains in the

snake until sunset, even though it be cut into a dozen parts. The Hopi Indians consider the serpent to

be in close communication with the Earth Spirit. Therefore, at the time of their annual snake dance
they send their prayers to the Earth Spirit by first specially sanctifying large numbers of these reptiles
and then liberating them to return to the earth with the prayers of the tribe.

The great rapidity of motion manifested by lizards has caused them to be associated with Mercury,
the Messenger of the Gods, whose winged feet traveled infinite distances almost instantaneously. A
point which must not be overlooked in connection with reptiles in symbolism is clearly brought out by
the eminent scholar. Dr. H. E. Santee, in his Anatomy of the Brain and Spinal Cord: "In reptiles
there are two pineal bodies, an anterior and a posterior, of which the posterior remains undeveloped
but the anterior forms a rudimentary, cyclopean eye. In the Hatteria, a New Zealand lizard, it projects
through the parietal foramen and presents an imperfect lens and retina and, in its long stalk, nerve
fibers."

Crocodiles were regarded by the Egyptians both as symbols of Typhon and emblems of the Supreme
Deity, of the latter because while under water the crocodile is capable of seeing—Plutarch asserts—
though its eyes are covered by a thin membrane. The Egyptians declared that no matter how far away
the crocodile laid its eggs, the Nile would reach up to them in its next inundation, this reptile being
endowed with a mysterious sense capable of making known the extent of the flood months before it
took place. There were two kinds of crocodiles. The larger and more ferocious was hated by the
Egyptians, for they likened it to the nature of Typhon, their destroying demon. Typhon waited to
devour all who failed to pass the judgment of the Dead, which rite took place in the Hall of Justice
between the earth and the Elysian Fields. Anthony Todd Thomson thus describes the good treatment
accorded the smaller and tamer crocodiles, which the Egyptians accepted as personifications of good:
"They were fed daily and occasionally had mulled wine poured down their throats. Their ears were
ornamented with rings of gold and precious stones, and their forefeet adorned with bracelets."

To the Chinese the turtle was a symbol of longevity. At a temple in Singapore a number of sacred
turtles are kept, their age recorded by carvings on their shells. The American Indians use the ridge
down the back of the turtle shell as a symbol of the Great Divide between life and death. The turtle is a
symbol of wisdom because it retires into itself and is its own protection. It is also a phallic symbol, as
its relation to long life would signify. The Hindus symbolized the universe as being supported on the
backs of four great elephants who, in turn, are standing upon an immense turtle which is crawling
continually through chaos.

The Egyptian sphinx, the Greek centaur, and the Assyrian man -bull have much in common. All are
composite creatures combining human and animal members; in the Mysteries all signify the
composite nature of man and subtly refer to the hierarchies of celestial beings that have charge of the
destiny of mankind. These hierarchies are the twelve holy animals now known as constellations—star
groups which are merely symbols of impersonal spiritual impulses. Chiron, the centaur, teaching the
sons of men, symbolizes the intelligences of the constellation of Sagittarius, who were the custodians
of the secret doctrine while (geocentrically) the sun was passing through the sign of Gemini. The five-
footed Assyrian man-bull with the wings of an eagle and the head of a man is a reminder that the
invisible nature of man has the wings of a god, the head of a man, and the body of a beast. The same
concept was expressed through the sphinx— that armed guardian of the Mysteries who, crouching at
the gate of the temple, denied entrance to the profane. Thus placed between man and his divine
possibilities, the sphinx also represented the secret doctrine itself. Children's fairy stories abound
with descriptions of symbolic monsters, for nearly all such tales are based upon the ancient mystic
folklore.

THE URiEUS.

From Kircher's CEdipus^Egyptiacus.

The spinal cord was symbolized by a snake, and the serpent coiled upon the foreheads of the Egyptian initiates
represented the Divine Fire which had crawled serpentlike up the Tree of Life.

GOOD AND EVIL CONTENDING FOR THE UNIVERSAL EGG.

From Maurice's Indian Antiquities.

Both Mithras, the Persian Redeemer, and Serapis, the Egyptian God of the Earth, are symbolized by serpents coiled about
their bodies. This remarkable drawing shows the good and evil principles of Persia— Ahura-Mazda and Ahriman—
contending for the Egg of the Earth, which each trying to wrench from the teeth of the other.

p. 89

Fishes, Insects, Animals, Reptiles and

Birds

(Part Two)

AS appropriate emblems of various human and divine attributes birds were included in religious and
philosophic symbolism that of pagans and of Christians alike. Cruelty was signified by the buzzard;
courage by the eagle; self-sacrifice by the pelican; and pride by the peacock. The ability of birds to
leave the earth and fly aloft toward the source of light has resulted in their being associated with
aspiration, purity, and beauty. Wings were therefore often added to various terrene creatures in an
effort to suggest transcendency. Because their habitat was among the branches of the sacred trees in
the hearts of ancient forests, birds were also regarded as the appointed messengers of the tree spirits
and Nature gods dwelling in these consecrated groves, and through their clear notes the gods
themselves were said to speak. Many myths have been fabricated to explain the brilliant plumage of
birds. A familiar example is the story of Juno's peacock, in whose tail feathers were placed the eyes of
Argus. Numerous American Indian legends also deal with birds and the origin of the various colors of
feathers. The Navahos declare that when all living things climbed to the stalk of a bamboo to escape
the Flood, the wild turkey was on the lowest branch and his tail feathers trailed in the water; hence
the color was all washed out.

Gravitation, which is a law in the material world, is the impulse toward the center of materiality;
levitation, which is a law in the spiritual world, is the impulse toward the center of spirituality.
Seeming to be capable of neutralizing the effect of gravity, the bird was said to partake of a nature
superior to other terrestrial creation; and its feathers, because of their sustaining power, came to be
accepted as symbols of divinity, courage, and accomplishment. A notable example is the dignity
attached to eagle feathers by the American Indians, among whom they are insignia of merit. Angels
have been invested with wings because, like birds, they were considered to be the intermediaries
between the gods and men and to inhabit the air or middle kingdom betwixt heaven and earth. As the
dome of the heavens was likened to a skull in the Gothic Mysteries, so the birds which flew across the
sky were regarded as thoughts of the Deity. For this reason Odin's two messenger ravens were called
Hugin and Munin— thought and memory.

Among the Greeks and Romans, the eagle was the appointed bird of Jupiter and consequently
signified the swiftly moving forces of the Demiurgus; hence it was looked upon as the mundane lord
of the birds, in contradistinction to the phoenix, which was symbolic of the celestial ruler. The eagle
typified the sun in its material phase and also the immutable Demiurgic law beneath which all mortal
creatures must bend. The eagle was also the Hermetic symbol of sulphur, and signified the
mysterious fire of Scorpio— the most profoundly significant sign of the zodiac and the Gate of the
Great Mystery. Being one of the three symbols of Scorpio, the eagle, like the Goat of Mendes, was an
emblem of the theurgic art and the secret processes by which the infernal fire of the scorpion was
transmuted into the spiritual light-fire of the gods.

Among certain American Indian tribes the thunderbird is held in peculiar esteem. This divine
creature is said to live above the clouds; the flapping of its wings causes the rumbling which
accompanies storms, while the flashes from its eyes are the lightning. Birds were used to signify the
vital breath; and among the Egyptians, mysterious hawklike birds with human heads, and carrying in
their claws the symbols of immortality, are often shown hovering as emblems of the liberated soul
over the mummified bodies of the dead. In Egypt the hawk was the sacred symbol of the sun; and Ra,
Osiris, and Horns are often depicted with the heads of hawks. The cock, or rooster, was a symbol of

Cashmala (Cadmillus) in the Samothracian Mysteries, and is also a phallic symbol sacred to the sun.
It was accepted by the Greeks as the emblem of Ares (Mars) and typified watchfulness and defense.
When placed in the center of a weather vane it signifies the sun in the midst of the four corners of
creation. The Greeks sacrificed a rooster to the gods at the time of entering the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Sir Francis Bacon is supposed to have died as the result of stuffing a fowl with snow. May this not
signify Bacon's initiation into the pagan Mysteries which still existed in his day?

Both the peacock and the ibis were objects of veneration because they destroyed the poisonous
reptiles which were popularly regarded as the emissaries of the infernal gods. Because of the myriad
of eyes in its tail feathers the peacock was accepted as the symbol of wisdom, and on account of its
general appearance it was often confused with the fabled phoenix of the Mysteries. There is a curious
belief that the flesh of the peacock will not putrefy even though kept for a considerable time. As an
outgrowth of this belief the peacock became the emblem of immortality, because the spiritual nature
of man—like the flesh of this bird—is incorruptible.

The Egyptians paid divine honors to the ibis and it was a cardinal crime to kill one, even by accident.
It was asserted that the ibis could live only in Egypt and that if transported to a foreign country it
would die of grief. The Egyptians declared this bird to be the preserver of crops and especially worthy
of veneration because it drove out the winged serpents of Libya which the wind blew into Egypt. The
ibis was sacred to Thoth, and when its head and neck were tucked under its wing its body closely
resembled a human heart. (See Montfaucon's Antiquities.) The black and white ibis was sacred to the
moon; but all forms were revered because they destroyed crocodile eggs, the crocodile being a symbol
of the detested Typhon.

Nocturnal birds were appropriate symbols of both sorcery and the secret divine sciences: sorcery
because black magic cannot function in the light of truth (day) and is powerful only when surrounded
by ignorance (night); and the divine sciences because those possessing the arcana are able to see
through the darkness of ignorance and materiality. Owls and bats were consequently often associated
with either witchcraft or wisdom. The goose was an emblem of the first primitive substance or
condition from which and within which the worlds were fashioned. In the Mysteries, the universe was
likened to an egg which the Cosmic Goose had laid in space. Because of its blackness the crow was the
symbol of chaos or the chaotic darkness preceding the light of creation. The grace and purity of the
swan were emblematic of the spiritual grace and purity of the initiate. This bird also represented the
Mysteries which unfolded these qualities in humanity. This explains the allegories of the gods (the
secret wisdom) incarnating in the body of a swan (the initiate).

Being scavengers, the vulture, the buzzard, and the condor signified that form of divine power which
by disposing of refuse and other matter dangerous to the life and health of humanity cleanses and
purifies the lower spheres. These birds were therefore adopted as symbols of the disintegrative
processes which accomplish good while apparently destroying, and by some religions have been
mistakenly regarded as evil. Birds such as the parrot and raven were accorded veneration because,
being able to mimic the human voice, they were looked upon as links between the human and animal
kingdoms.

The dove, accepted by Christianity as the emblem of the Holy Ghost, is an extremely ancient and
highly revered pagan yonic emblem. In many of the ancient Mysteries it represented the third person
of the Creative Triad, or the Fabricator of the world. As the lower worlds were brought into existence
through a generative process, so the dove has been associated with those deities identified with the
procreative functions. It is sacred to Astarte, Cybele, Isis, Venus, Juno, Mylitta, and Aphrodite. On
account of its gentleness and devotion to its young, the dove was looked upon as the embodiment of
the maternal instinct. The dove is also an emblem of wisdom, for it represents the power and order by
which the lower worlds are maintained. It has long been accepted as a messenger of the divine will,
and signifies the activity of God.

The name dove has been given to oracles and to prophets. "The true name of the dove was lonah or
Idnas; it was a very sacred emblem, and atone time almost universally received; it was adopted by the
Hebrews; and the mystic Dove was regarded as a symbol

THE PHCENIX ON ITS NEST OF FLAMES.

From Lycosthenes' Prodigiorum, ac Ostentorum Chronicon.

The phoenix is the most celebrated of all the symbolic creatures fabricated by the ancient Mysteries for the purpose of
concealing the great truths of esoteric philosophy. Though modern scholars of natural history declare the existence of the
phoenix to be purely mythical, Pliny describes the capture of one of these birds and it exhibition in the Roman Forum
during the reign of the Emperor Claudius.

p. 90

from the days of Noah by all those who were of the Church of God. The prophet sent to Ninevah as
God's messenger was called Jonah or the Dove; our Lord's forerunner, the Baptist, was called in
Greek by the name of loannes; and so was the Apostle of Love, the author Of the fourth Gospel and of
the Apocalypse, named loannes." (Bryant's Ana/ysis of Ancient Mythology.)

In Masonry the dove is the symbol of purity and innocence. It is significant that in the pagan
Mysteries the dove of Venus was crucified upon the four spokes of a great wheel, thus foreshadowing
the mystery of the crucified Lord of Love. Although Mohammed drove the doves from the temple at
Mecca, occasionally he is depicted with a dove sitting upon his shoulder as the symbol of divine
inspiration. In ancient times the effigies of doves were placed upon the heads of scepters to signify
that those bearing them were overshadowed by divine prerogative. In mediaeval art, the dove
frequently was pictured as an emblem of divine benediction.

THE PHCENIX

Clement, one of the ante-Nicaean Fathers, describes, in the first century after Christ, the peculiar
nature and habits of the phoenix, in this wise: "There is a certain bird which is called a Phoenix. This is
the only one of its kind and lives five hundred years. And when the time of its dissolution draws near
that it must die, it builds itself a nest of frankincense, and myrrh, and other spices, into which, when
the time is fulfilled, it enters and dies. But as the flesh decays a certain kind of worm is produced,
which, being nourished by the juices of the dead bird, brings forth feathers. Then, when it has
acquired strength, it takes up that nest in which are the bones of its parent, and bearing these it
passes from the land of Arabia into Egypt, to the city called Heliopolis. And, in open day, flying in the

sight of all men, it places them on the altar of the sun, and having done this, hastens back to its
former abode. The priests then inspect the registers of the dates, and find that it has returned exactly
as the five hundredth year was completed."

Although admitting that he had not seen the phcenix bird (there being only one alive at a time),
Herodotus amplifies a bit the description given by Clement: "They tell a story of what this bird does
which does not seem to me to be credible: that he comes all the way from Arabia, and brings the
parent bird, all plastered with myrrh, to the temple of the sun, and there buries the body. In order to
bring him, they say, he first forms a ball of myrrh as big as he finds that he can carry; then he hollows
out the ball, and puts his parent inside; after which he covers over the opening with fresh myrrh, and
the ball is then of exactly the same weight as at first; so he brings it to Egypt, plastered over as I have
said, and deposits it in the temple of the sun. Such is the story they tell of the doings of this bird."

Both Herodotus and Pliny noted the general resemblance in shape between the phoenix and the eagle,
a point which the reader should carefully consider, for it is reasonably certain that the modern
Masonic eagle was originally a phoenix. The body of the phoenix is described as having been covered
AAdth glossy purple feathers, while its long tail feathers were alternately blue and red. Its head was
light in color and about its neck was a circlet of golden plumage. At the back of its head the phoenix
had a peculiar tuft of feathers, a fact quite evident, although it has been overlooked by most writers
and symbolists.

The phoenix was regarded as sacred to the sun, and the length of its life (500 to 1000 years) was taken
as a standard for measuring the motion of the heavenly bodies and also the cycles of time used in the
Mysteries to designate the periods of existence. The diet of the bird was unknown. Some writers
declare that it subsisted upon the atmosphere; others that it ate at rare intervals but never in the
presence of man. Modern Masons should realize the special Masonic significance of the phoenix, for
the bird is described as using sprigs of acacia in the manufacture of its nest.

The phoenix (which is the mythological Persian roc) is also the name of a Southern constellation, and
therefore it has both an astronomical and an astrological significance. In all probability, the phoenix
was the swan of the Greeks, the eagle of the Romans, and the peacock of the Far East. To the ancient
mystics the phoenix was a most appropriate symbol of the immortality of the human soul, for just as
the phoenix was reborn out of its own dead self seven times seven, so again and again the spiritual
nature of man rises triumphant from his dead physical body.

Mediaeval Hermetists regarded the phoenix as a symbol of the accomplishment of alchemical
transmutation, a process equivalent to human regeneration. The name phcenix was also given to one
of the secret alchemical formula. The familiar pelican of the Rose Croix degree, feeding its young from
its own breast, is in reality a phoenix, a fact which can be confirmed by an examination of the head of
the bird. The ungainly lower part of the pelican's beak is entirely missing, the head of the phoenix
being far more like that of an eagle than of a pelican. In the Mysteries it was customary to refer to
initiates as phoenixes or men who had been born again, for just as physical birth gives man
consciousness in the physical world, so the neophyte, after nine degrees in the womb of the Mysteries,
was born into a consciousness of the Spiritual world. This is the mystery of initiation to which Christ
referred when he said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John iii. 3).
The phoenix is a fitting symbol of this spiritual truth.

European mysticism was not dead at the time the United States of America was founded. The hand of
the Mysteries controlled in the establishment of the new government, for the signature of the
Mysteries may still be seen on the Great Seal of the United States of America. Careful analysis of the
seal discloses a mass of occult and Masonic symbols, chief among them the so-called American eagle-
-a bird which Benjamin Franklin declared unworthy to be chosen as the emblem of a great, powerful,
and progressive people. Here again only the student of symbolism can see through the subterfuge and

realize that the American eagle upon the Great Seal is but a conventionalized phoenix, a fact plainly
discernible from an examination of the original seal. In his sketch of The History of the Seal of the
United States, Gaillard Hunt unwittingly brings forward much material to substantiate the belief that
the original seal carried the Phoenix bird on its obverse surface and the Great Pyramid of Gizeh upon
its reverse surface. In a colored sketch submitted as a design for the Great Seal by William Barton in
1782, an actual phoenix appears sitting upon a nest of flames. This itself demonstrates a tendenqr
towards the use of this emblematic bird.

PHCENIX OR EAGLE, WHICH?

On the left is the bird's head from the first Great Seal of the United States (1782) and on the right the Great Seal of 1902.
When the first great Seal was actually cut, the bird represented upon it was very different from the eagle which now
appears; the neck was much longer and the tuft of feathers, at the upper back part of the head was quite noticeable; the
beak bore little resemblance to that of the eagle; and the entire bird was much thinner and its wings shorter. It requires
very little imagination to trace in this first so-called eagle the mythological Phoenix of antiquity. What is more, there is
every reason why a phoenix bird should be used to represent a new country rising out of an old, while as Benjamin
Franklin caustically noted, the eagle was not a bird of good moral character!

AN EGYPTIAN PHCENIX.

From Wilkinson's Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians.

The Egyptians occasionally represented the Phoenix as having the body of a man and the wings of a bird. This biform,
creature had a tuft of feathers upon its head and its arms were upraised in an attitude of prayer. As the phoenix was the
symbol of regeneration, the tuft of feathers on the back of its head might well symbolize the activity of the Pineal gland, or
third eye, the occult function of which was apparently well understood by the ancient priestcraft.

THE OBVERSE AND REVERSE OF THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

From Hunt's History of the Seal of the United States.

The significance of the mystical number 13, which frequently appears upon the Great Seal of the United States, is not
limited to the number of the original colonies. The sacred emblem of the ancient initiates, here composed of 13 stars,, also
appears above the head of the "eagle." The motto, EPluribus Unum, contains 13 letters, as does also the inscription,
Annuit Coeptis. The "eagle" clutches in its right talon a branch bearing 13 leaves and 13 berries and in its left a sheaf of 13
arrows. The face of the pyramid, exclusive of the panel containing the date, consists of 72 stones arranged in 13 rows.

p. 91

If any one doubts the presence of Masonic and occult influences at the time the Great Seal was
designed, he should give due consideration to the comments of Professor Charles Eliot Norton of
Harvard, who wrote concerning the unfinished pyramid and the All-Seeing Eye which adorned the
reverse of the seal, as follows: "The device adopted by Congress is practically incapable of effective
treatment; it can hardly (however artistically treated by the designer) look otherwise than as a dull
emblem of a Masonic fraternity." (The History of the Seal of the United States.)

The eagles of Napoleon and Caesar and the zodiacal eagle of Scorpio are really phoenixes, for the latter
bird—not the eagle—is the symbol of spiritual victory and achievement. Masonry will be in a position
to solve many of the secrets of its esoteric doctrine when it realizes that both its single- and double-
headed eagles are phoenixes, and that to all initiates and philosophers the phoenix is the symbol of the
transmutation and regeneration of the creative energy— commonly called the accomplishment of the
Great Work. The double-headed phoenix is the prototype of an androgynous man, for according to the
secret teachings there will come a time when the human body will have two spinal cords, by means of
which vibratory equilibrium will be maintained in the body.

Not only were many of the founders of the United States Government Masons, but they received aid
from a secret and august body existing in Europe, which helped them to establish this country for a
peculiar and particular purpose known only to the initiated few. The Great Seal is the signature of this
exalted body— unseen and for the most part unknown— and the unfinished pyramid upon its reverse
side is a trestleboard setting forth symbolically the task to the accomplishment of which the United
States Government was dedicated ftom the day of its inception.

ANIMALS

The lion is the king of the animal family and, like the head of each kingdom, is sacred to the sun,
whose rays are symbolized by the lion's shaggy mane. The allegories perpetuated by the Mysteries
(such as the one to the effect that the lion opens the secret book) signify that the solar power opens
the seed pods, releasing the spiritual life within. There was also a curious belief among the ancients
that the lion sleeps with his eyes open, and for this reason the animal was chosen as a symbol of
vigilance. The figure of a lion placed on either side of doors and gateways is an emblem of divine
guardianship. King Solomon was often symbolized as a lion. For ages the feline family has been
regarded with peculiar veneration. In several of the Mysteries— most notably the Egyptian— the priests
wore the skins of lions, tigers, panthers, pumas, or leopards. Hercules and Samson (both solar
symbols) slew the lion of the constellation of Leo and robed themselves in his skin, thus signifying
that they represented the sun itself when at the summit of the celestial arch.

At Bubastis in Egypt was the temple of the famous goddess Bast, the cat deity of the Ptolemies. The
Egyptians paid homage to the cat, especially when its fur was of three shades or its eyes of different
colors. To the priests the cat was symbolic of the magnetic forces of Nature, and they surrounded
themselves with these animals for the sake of the astral fire which emanated from their bodies. The
cat was also a symbol of eternity, for when it sleeps it curls up into a ball with its head and tail
touching. Among the Greeks and Latins the cat was sacred to the goddess Diana. The Buddhists of
India invested the cat with special significance, but for a different reason. The cat was the only animal
absent at the death of the great Buddha, because it had stopped on the way to chase a mouse. That the
symbol of the lower astral forces should not be present at the liberation of the Buddha is significant.

Regarding the cat, Herodotus says: "Whenever a fire breaks out, cats are agitated with a kind of divine
motion, which they that keep them observe, neglecting the fire: The cats, however, in spite of their
care, break from them, leaping even over the heads of their keepers to throw themselves into the fire.
The Egyptians then make great mourning for their death. If a cat dies a natural death in a house, all
they of that house shave their eyebrows: If a dog, they shave the head and all the body. They used to
embalm their dead cats, and carry them to Bubastis to be interred in a sacred house. (Montfaucon's
Antiquities.)

The most important of all symbolic animals was the Apis, or Egyptian bull of Memphis, which was
regarded as the sacred vehicle for the transmigration of the soul of the god Osiris. It was declared that
the Apis was conceived by a bolt of lightning, and the ceremony attendant upon its selection and
consecration was one of the most impressive in Egyptian ritualism. The Apis had to be marked in a
certain manner. Herodotus states that the bull must be black with a square white spot on his forehead,
the form of an eagle (probably a vulture) on his back, a beetle upon (under) his tongue, and the hair of
his tail lying two ways. Other writers declare that the sacred bull was marked with twenty-nine sacred
symbols, his body was spotted, and upon his right side was a white mark in the form of a crescent.
After its sanctification the Apis was kept in a stable adjacent to the temple and led in processionals
through the streets of the city upon certain solemn occasions. It was a popular belief among the
Egyptians that any child upon whom the bull breathed would become illustrious. After reaching a
certain age (twenty-five years) the Apis was taken either to the river Nile or to a sacred fountain
(authorities differ on this point) and drowned, amidst the lamentations of the populace. The
mourning and wailing for his death continued until the new Apis was found, when it was declared
that Osiris had reincarnated, whereupon rejoicing took the place of grief.

The worship of the bull was not confined to Egypt, but was prevalent in many nations of the ancient
world. In India, Nandi~the sacred white bull of Siva~is still the object of much veneration; and both
the Persians and the Jews accepted the bull as an important religious symbol. The Assyrians,
Phoenicians, Chaldeans, and even the Greeks reverenced this animal, and Jupiter turned himself into
a white bull to abduct Europa. The bull was a powerful phallic emblem signifying the paternal creative
power of the Demiurgus. At his death he was frequently mummified and buried with the pomp and
dignity of a god in a specially prepared sarcophagus. Excavations in the Serapeum at Memphis have
uncovered the tombs of more than sixty of these sacred animals.

As the sign rising over the horizon at the vernal equinox constitutes the starry body for the annual
incarnation of the sun, the bull not only was the celestial symbol of the Solar Man but, because the
vernal equinox took place in the constellation of Taurus, was called the breaker or opener of the year.
For this reason in astronomical symbolism the bull is often shown breaking the annular egg with his
horns. The Apis further signifies that the God-Mind is incarnated in the body of a beast and therefore
that the physical beast form is the sacred vehicle of divinity. Man's lower personality is the Apis in
which Osiris incarnates. The result of the combination is the creation of Sor-Apis (Serapis)-the
material soul as ruler of the irrational material body and involved therein. After a certain period
(which is determined by the square of five, or twenty-five years), the body of the Apis is destroyed and
the soul liberated by the water which drowns the material life. This was indicative of the washing
away of the material nature by the baptismal waters of divine light and truth. The drowning of the
Apis is the symbol of death; the resurrection of Osiris in the new bull is the symbol of eternal
renovation. The white bull was also symbolically sacred as the appointed emblem of the initiates,
signifying the spiritualized material bodies of both man and Nature.

When the vernal equinox no longer occurred in the sign of Taurus, the Sun God incarnated in the
constellation of Aries and the ram then became the vehicle of the solar power. Thus the sun rising in
the sign of the Celestial Lamb triumphs over the symbolic serpent of darkness. The lamb is a familiar
emblem of purity because of its gentleness and the whiteness of its wool. In many of the pagan
Mysteries it signified the Universal Savior, and in Christianity it is the favorite symbol of Christ. Early

church paintings show a lamb standing upon a Httle hill, and from its feet pour four streams of living
water signifying the four Gospels. The blood of the lamb is the solar life pouring into the world
through the sign of Aries.

The goat is both a phallic symbol and also an emblem of courage or aspiration because of its
surefootedness and ability to scale the loftiest peaks. To the alchemists the goat's head was the symbol
of sulphur. The practice among the ancient Jews of choosing a scapegoat upon which to heap the sins
of mankind is merely an allegorical

p. 09100

From Kircher's Sphinx Mystagoga.

THE SACRED BULL, OR APIS.

The importance of the bull as the symbol of the sun at the vernal equinox is discussed in the chapter
on The Zodiac and Its Signs. The bull and the ox are ancient emblems of the element of earth-
consequently of the planet itself. They also signify the animal nature of man, and for this reason were
sacrificed upon the altars of such ancient Mysteries as the Jewish and Druidic. Plutarch wrote: "The
Apis ought to be regarded by us, as a fair and beautiful image of the soul of Osiris." Osiris represents
the spiritual nature of the lower world which is murdered and distributed throughout the substance
of the physical spheres; Apis is the emblem of the material world within which is the spiritual nature-
-Osiris. The Apis is also the symbol of the exoteric (or profane) doctrine, in contradistinction to the
esoteric (or divine) teachings represented by the urseus worn upon the foreheads of the priests. Front
this is derived the mythological allegory of Serapis, who in a certain sense is not only the composite
figure of Osiris and the lower world in which he is incarnated but also of the Mysteries, which are the
terrestrial bodies containing the secret teachings, or the spiritual soul.

p. 92

depiction of the Sun Man who is the scapegoat of the world and upon whom are cast the sins of the
twelve houses (tribes) of the celestial universe. Truth is the Divine Lamb worshiped throughout
pagandom and slain for the sins of the world, and since the dawn of time the Savior Gods of all
religions have been personifications of this Truth. The Golden Fleece sought by Jason and his
Argonauts is the Celestial Lamb—the spiritual and intellectual sun. The secret doctrine is also typified
by the Golden Fleece— the wool of the Divine Life, the rays of the Sun of Truth. Suidas declares the
Golden Fleece to have been in reality a book, written upon skin, which contained the formulae for the
production of gold by means of chemistry. The Mysteries were institutions erected for the
transmutation of base ignorance into precious illumination. The dragon of ignorance was the terrible
creature set to guard the Golden Fleece, and represents the darkness of the old year which battles
with the sun at the time of its equinoctial passage.

Deer were sacred in the Bacchic Mysteries of the Greeks; the Bacchantes were often clothed in
fawnskins. Deer were associated with the worship of the moon goddess and the Bacchic orgies were
usually conducted at night. The grace and speed of this animal caused it to be accepted as the proper
symbol of esthetic abandon. Deer were objects of veneration with many nations. In Japan, herds of
them are still maintained in connection with the temples.

The wolf is usually associated with the principle of evil, because of the mournful discordance of its
howl and the viciousness of its nature. In Scandinavian mythology the Fenris Wolf was one of the
sons of Loki, the infernal god of the fires. With the temple of Asgard in flames about them, the gods
under the command of Odin fought their last great battle against the chaotic forces of evil. With
frothing jowls the Fenris Wolf devoured Odin, the Father of the Gods, and thus destroyed the Odinic

universe. Here the Fenris Wolf represents those mindless powers of Nature that overthrew the
primitive creation.

The unicorn, or monoceros, was a most curious creation of the ancient initiates. It is described by
Thomas Boreman as "a beast, which though doubted of by many writers, yet is by others thus
described: He has but one horn, and that an exceedingly rich one, growing out of the middle of his
forehead. His head resembles an hart's, his feet an elephant's, his tail a boar's, and the rest of his body
an horse's. The horn is about a foot and half in length. His voice is like the lowing of an ox. His mane
and hair are of a yellowish colour. His horn is as hard as iron, and as rough as any file, twisted or
curled, like a flaming sword; very straight, sharp, and everywhere black, excepting the point. Great
virtues are attributed to it, in expelling of poison and curing of several diseases. He is not a beast of
prey. " (See Redgrove's Bygone Beliefs.)

While the unicorn is mentioned several times in Scripture, no proof has yet been discovered of its
existence. There are a number of drinking horns in various museums presumably fashioned from its
spike. It is reasonably certain, however, that these drinking vessels were really made either from the
tusks of some large mammal or the horn of a rhinoceros. J. P. Lundy believes that the horn of the
unicorn symbolizes the hem of salvation mentioned by St. Luke which, pricking the hearts of men,
turns them to a consideration of salvation through Christ. Mediaeval Christian mystics employed the
unicorn as an emblem of Christ, and this creature must therefore signify the spiritual life in man. The
single horn of the unicorn may represent the pineal gland, or third eye, which is the spiritual
cognition center in the brain. The unicorn was adopted by the Mysteries as a symbol of the illumined
spiritual nature of the initiate, the horn with which it defends itself being the flaming sword of the
spiritual doctrine against, which nothing can prevail.

In the Book of Lambspring , a rare Hermetic tract, appears an engraving showing a deer and a
unicorn standing together in a wood. The picture is accompanied by the following text: "The Sages say
truly that two animals are in this forest: One glorious, beautiful, and swift, a great and strong deer;
the other an unicorn. * * * If we apply the parable of our art, we shall call the forest the body. * * * The
unicorn will be the spirit at all times. The deer desires no other name but that of the soul; * * *. He
that knows how to tame and master them by art, to couple them together, and to lead them in and our
of the form, may justly be called a Master."

The Egyptian devil, Typhon, was often symbolized by the Set monster whose identity is obscure. It
has a queer snoutlike nose and pointed ears, and may have been a conventional hyena. The Set
monster lived in the sand storms and wandered about the world promulgating evil. The Egyptians
related the howling of the desert winds with the moaning cry of the hyena. Thus when in the depths of
the night the hyena sent forth its doleful wail it sounded like the last despairing cry of a lost soul in
the clutches of Typhon. Among the duties of this evil creature was that of protecting the Egyptian
dead against: grave robbers.

Among other symbols of Typhon was the hippopotamus, sacred to the god Mars because Mars was
enthroned in the sign of Scorpio, the house of Typhon. The ass was also sacred to this Egyptian
demon. Jesus riding into Jerusalem upon the back of an ass has the same significance as Hermes
standing upon the prostrate form of Typhon. The early Christians were accused of worshiping the
head of an ass. A most curious animal symbol is the hog or sow, sacred to Diana, and frequently
employed in the Mysteries as an emblem of the occult art. The wild boar which gored Atys shows the
use of this animal in the Mysteries.

According to the Mysteries, the monkey represents the condition of man before the rational soul
entered into his constitution. Therefore it typifies the irrational man. By some the monkey is looked

upon as a species not ensouled by the spiritual hierarchies; by others as a fallen state wherein man
has been deprived of his divine nature through degeneracy. The ancients, though evolutionists, did

not trace man's ascent through the monkey; the monkey they considered as having separated itself
from the main stem of progress. The monkey was occasionally employed as a symbol of learning.
Cynocephalus, the dog-headed ape, was the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol of writing, and was closely
associated with Thoth. Cynocephalus is symbolic of the moon and Thoth of the planet Mercury.
Because of the ancient belief that the moon followed Mercury about the heavens the dog-ape was
described as the faithful companion of Thoth.

The dog, because of its faithfulness, denotes the relationship which should exist between disciple and
master or between the initiate and his God. The shepherd dog was a type of the priestcraft. The dog's
ability to sense and follow unseen persons for miles symbolized the transcendental power by which
the philosopher follows the thread of truth through the labyrinth of earthly error. The dog is also the
symbol of Mercury. The Dog Star, Sirius or Sothis, was sacred to the Egyptians because it presaged
the annual inundations of the Nile.

As a beast of burden the horse was the symbol of the body of man forced to sustain the weight of his
spiritual constitution. Conversely, it also typified the spiritual nature of man forced to maintain the
burden of the material personality. Chiron, the centaur, mentor of Achilles, represents the primitive
creation which was the progenitor and instructor of mankind, as described by Berossus. The win